Michigan Head Coach Jim Harbaugh hoists 2024 National Championship trophy after defeating Washington at NRG Stadium in Houston, TX. Per: The Associated Press.
Post By: Andrew McClure
1/16/24 5:57 PM
The 4 team playoff lasted for 10 years, bookended by the Big 10’s two national champions in the era. The Michigan Wolverines, surrounded by controversy, prevailed to become the undisputed national champions in 2024 this past Monday. This was only the second time that we saw two non-SEC squads take the field in the CFB national championship. As Michigan and Washington left the field last Monday night, we said goodbye to the end of an era in college football. The 12-team college football playoff looms, and conference realignment, NIL, and the departure of a CFB Legends brings question marks about the future of the sport into 2024.
For many of us, watching Dave Portnoy celebrate as Michigan obliterated a clearly less-talented Washington team came with pain and resentment. Despite all of the violations and the Connor Stallions Saga, the University of Michigan clearly showed they were the best team in the country this past season. Defeating the SEC and PAC12 champions en route to their first national championship of the 21st century. As both those squads marched into their locker rooms, we may never see college football in the same light again.
The 12 team playoff brings in a whole new era of college football, where like never before will teams with 1, maybe even 2 losses, have a legitimate shot at the championship. I think back to Tulane’s defeat of USC in early 2023. When the heck would the Green Wave of Tulane ever have a shot at the Natty? Well, we can’t say that anymore. Should undefeated Florida State have been the #4 seed in this playoff? (Heck no) We can’t argue about that anymore.
Conference realignment will bring forth a whole new era of rivalries and exciting games, pitting UCLA and Oregon in the Big 10, and moving Texas and Oklahoma to the SEC. The Red River Rivalry is an SEC game now! We will see some of CFB's most historic rivalries die, and some of it’s newest foes clash on massive tv deals. The NIL era has begun and is already causing mass hysteria and leads me to question what the National College Football League will do next.
Nick Saban and Jim Harbaugh leave behind some of the more dominant programs in college football history. With Coach Harbaugh most likely to leave for the NFL, and Coach Saban riding off into the sunset as one of the most successful coaches in CFB history. This leaves holes for the new faces of CFB, will guys like Lane Kiffin and Ryan Day have even larger spotlights on them? The spotlight on new Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer will surely be the heat of the sun.
As we head in 2024, we surely leave behind a lot of college football traditions that may become extremely sparse in the future. Enjoy the moments we get, embrace Rutgers vs. Oregon in November. Embrace the G5 game rivalries, watch JMU take on App State! College football is dead as we know it, but the sport is still the sport we love, and we can still all get drunk and mash parlays while our significant others complain we haven’t moved in hours.
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