but, ever since 1995 when our friend The Bowl Alliance first reared its ugly head, I have slowly been turned off by college football and its continued corruption. I remember BYU being ranked 5th in the country and was on the verge of celebrating an invite to an awesome bowl like the Sugar or Fiesta. For some reason, Penn State, who was ranked 12th, was picked over BYU. That was when the bubble popped and I first learned of corruption in college football. It only got worse over time. The Bowl Alliance was replaced by the BCS, which limited the revenue pie to only the select few.

Coaches began getting caught for breaking NCAA rules. Many would quit or be forced out, but land a nice job somewhere else with nary a slap on the wrist, while their former team suffered the consequences. Why would schools hire fallen coaches like that? Could it be that they cared more about winning and the money that came with it than they did being honest an ethical?

I read about bowl executives that milked the system for everything it was worth. The would work 2 weeks out of the year on high six figure incomes. The would force participating schools to purchase allotments of tickets, often at over-market value. I then saw a documentary about how schools would effectively rob their star athletes of their education by helping them fudge their way through college.

I'm sorry that I can't just enjoy college football as a game played by hard-working kids who have a passion for football. It's impossible for me to turn off the part of my brain that is disgusted by those who are exploiting the kids on the field.