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NFL 2017-18

I know @Hark_The_Sound_2010 Is with me on this: the NFL is starting to suffer from the leaguewide parity they have so determinedly and intentionally created. The parity results in regular season games meaning very little. NFL regular season games have gotten really boring as a result, except for fantasy purposes.

Feels like 80% of the teams finish with 8 (+/-1) wins. Nothing really matters until December.

ETA: for accuracy sake, I checked the 2016 standings. 13 teams (41%) finished 8-8, 9-7, or 7-9.

So what should they do to ramify this?

I mean look at the Patriots. They've been so good for so long, it's wearing a lot of people thin because everyone knows they're at least going to the AFC Championship game every year. That's bad for the league as well.
 
NFL has issues for sure, but college ball always comes down to a handful of the same damn teams - bama, osu, clem, etc. I'm pretty much sick of that same shit every year.
 
NFL has issues for sure, but college ball always comes down to a handful of the same damn teams - bama, osu, clem, etc. I'm pretty much sick of that same shit every year.
Not true at all, seeing as Clemson is in fact a new team at the top the past couple years. Similarly, TCU, Baylor, Oregon, Michigan State have all made NY6 Bowls in recent years. None of those schools qualify as "blue bloods."
 
Not true at all, seeing as Clemson is in fact a new team at the top the past couple years. Similarly, TCU, Baylor, Oregon, Michigan State have all made NY6 Bowls in recent years. None of those schools qualify as "blue bloods."
Says the not-so-closet Bama fan. His point is absolutely true. The college football season typically ends with the same very small group of national title contenders every year. Alabama, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Florida State, Oregon, Clemson (who has finished in the top 10 four of the last five years).

A few outsiders break through each year but it's rarely sustained. All this is because college football is anti-NFL and there's little to ensure parity. The only equalizer is the 85/25 scholarship rule, but teams find ways around that via grayshirts and jettisoning kids who don't pan out since scholarships are only good for a year. Plus, high school recruits are able to sign anywhere they please assuming they have a commitable offer since there's no equivalent of the draft.
 
Says the not-so-closet Bama fan. His point is absolutely true. The college football season typically ends with the same very small group of national title contenders every year. Alabama, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Florida State, Oregon, Clemson (who has finished in the top 10 four of the last five years).
Before that, lemme know where they finished, and that is my point. Clemson is a direct disproof of his claim that the same programs always compete for a title. Clemson was not competing for titles 5 years ago for a long, long stretch of time (1981.)

Oregon and Stanford are other examples of non-blue blood programs who have risen to, or flirted with, perennial playoff contenders. While it is very difficult for program to join the ranks of the blue bloods, if you will, it is not impossible. Nor is it impossible for those in the coveted blue blood ranks to die off (Texas).
 
Says the not-so-closet Bama fan. His point is absolutely true. The college football season typically ends with the same very small group of national title contenders every year. Alabama, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Florida State, Oregon, Clemson (who has finished in the top 10 four of the last five years).

A few outsiders break through each year but it's rarely sustained. All this is because college football is anti-NFL and there's little to ensure parity. The only equalizer is the 85/25 scholarship rule, but teams find ways around that via grayshirts and jettisoning kids who don't pan out since scholarships are only good for a year. Plus, high school recruits are able to sign anywhere they please assuming they have a commitable offer since there's no equivalent of the draft.
What he said...
 
Before that, lemme know where they finished, and that is my point.
You're missing THE point, which is how unlikely it is for any non-blue blood to ever win a championship in college football. Clemson is possibly an exception depending on how you define blue blood, any maybe Auburn too. But otherwise you have to go back to 1990 to find a team from outside the usual powerhouses to win a title.
 
Before that, lemme know where they finished, and that is my point. Clemson is a direct disproof of his claim that the same programs always compete for a title. Clemson was not competing for titles 5 years ago for a long, long stretch of time (1981.)

Oregon and Stanford are other examples of non-blue blood programs who have risen to, or flirted with, perennial playoff contenders. While it is very difficult for program to join the ranks of the blue bloods, if you will, it is not impossible. Nor is it impossible for those in the coveted blue blood ranks to die off (Texas).
Yeah those teams rose up, but look at the last 10-15 national champs. Same ol. Since you are a bama fan, I'm sure that's cool for you.

Texas will be back; they have too much tradition and money to stay down too long. If you're a fan of one of those 8-10 big dogs, then you have hope of making the final four every year. The 100+ other teams are SOL.

Hell, I doubt I'll ever even see the Heels win a conference title in my lifetime the way things are going. And that sucks.
 
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The reason why I prefer the NFL over college ball is because even if there are still traditionally successful teams, that success isn't guaranteed. The lions and browns used to be the premiere teams in the 50s. The patriots sucked ass before 2001. The jaguars made the playoffs 4 times in their first 5 years. The packers were pretty lackluster in the 80s. No franchise can sustain success forever.

In the NFL I'm reminded of the phrase "any given Sunday." Which may cause a lot of 7-9 and 8-8 teams but it makes the ones who are good that much better to watch.
 
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the nfl product is infinitely better, imo.

i will say the hype around college is great, but i could watch the lions/browns any day before a college game, other than a few select rivalries or matchups.
 
the nfl product is infinitely better, imo.

i will say the hype around college is great, but i could watch the lions/browns any day before a college game, other than a few select rivalries or matchups.
I knew you would disagree, but you're an NFL guy, so I totally get it. You could watch any NFL game just like I can watch any college game. I'm watching USF - Illinois right now and it's an UGLY game, but I have no intention of changing the channel. I watch very little NFL each week. Usually I'll catch some of one of the prime time games a week.

Seems like every single NFL game ends 24-17. Fairly monotonous. Also, players move teams more frequently than ever, due to salary cap structure. Combine that with so many star players getting hurt each season, the NFL has lost some of its star power IMHO.

Now I know you'll say "well college rosters turn over every year." Yes, they do. But the college game isn't about its stars. It's about the school brands and pageantry and traditions and rivalries. To me, except a select few NFL franchises like the Cowboys and the Packers, there's no real "brands" in the NFL. Teams get new stadiums and ditch their iconic stadiums (Cowboys, Redskins, 49ers, etc).
 
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I know @Hark_The_Sound_2010 Is with me on this: the NFL is starting to suffer from the leaguewide parity they have so determinedly and intentionally created. The parity results in regular season games meaning very little. NFL regular season games have gotten really boring as a result, except for fantasy purposes.

Feels like 80% of the teams finish with 8 (+/-1) wins. Nothing really matters until December.

ETA: for accuracy sake, I checked the 2016 standings. 13 teams (41%) finished 8-8, 9-7, or 7-9.

Somewhat agreed. When I said regular season games don't matter - I was specifically referring to the Patriots. They lost week 1, and in college their title hopes would be gone. But since it's the NFL, I have zero doubt they'll still be in the AFC championship game, and most likely still hosting it. The chiefs beating them would have been monumental in college, but is borderline irrelevant in the NFL.

So regular season games don't matter for teams like the Pats, but for the 8-8 teams fighting for a wild card spot, each game is vital. Although in the grand scheme of the league, they're not that important because those wild card teams probably won't beat the top seeds. Although the chance of the last seed knocking off the top seed is still greater than in the NBA (which is a joke), but not as great as in the NHL (lower seeds beat higher seeds all the time).
 
Can somebody explain why the Panthers poast stuff like this? Serious question. Do they consider Cam part of the franchise's brand, maybe? I really don't understand what this has to do with on-field results and why so many people appear to care.

 
Can somebody explain why the Panthers poast stuff like this? Serious question. Do they consider Cam part of the franchise's brand, maybe? I really don't understand what this has to do with on-field results and why so many people appear to care.

Yeah, I don't give two shits about that crap either. Just produce on the field, and stop worrying about making yourself a freaking global icon, or whatever the hell they're trying to do.
 
Cam is looking good on the field today; and the D is playing well. Dominating time of possession, yet only up 6-0 at home to the Bills with 2 minutes before halftime. Bad.
 
Meanwhile in Tampa, the Bears are getting smoked 29-0. Glennon is 15 of 20 but has thrown 2 of those incompletions to the other team with 1 of them a pick 6. I bet the shouts for Trubisky are getting pretty loud.
 
Meanwhile in Tampa, the Bears are getting smoked 29-0. Glennon is 15 of 20 but has thrown 2 of those incompletions to the other team with 1 of them a pick 6. I bet the shouts for Trubisky are getting pretty loud.
Yep, they should.

It really is sickening to think that 4 NFL teams are starting mooers at QB today...
 
Some self-inflicted wounds by the Bills saved us: offensive PI, didn't call timeout after the TT run inbounds, tried to complete a 40-yard pass....

Congratulations to whoever had Graham Gano in their fantasy league.
 
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On the bright side, the Panthers held the Bills to 10 first downs and 176 total yards. I know they suck, but they are professionals and they really only had about 130-something yards and 7-8 first downs before that prevent defense-aided final drive helped the Bills numbers.
 
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