The realignments that begin this fall will ruin college athletics even further. First, travel costs will substantially increase for the Big Ten, Big 12, and ACC schools' athletic programs and their fans. That will make it even harder for fans to travel for their teams' away games. Second, these conferences must schedule games across four time zones. Because Arizona does not observe daylight savings time, Arizona and Arizona State will be in pacific time zone during daylight savings time. For the Big 12, that would mean 4 time zones during daylights savings time and 3 time zones when that ends on the first Sunday of November. The problem is that West Coast fans won't wake up for games that start at noon ET (9 AM PT kickoffs, and East Coast fans won't stay up to finish games that start at 10:30 PM ET (7:30 PM PT) and end at 2:00 AM ET (11:00 PT). Third, longer trips and travel times equate to an increased time away from campus, missed classes, and jet lag. These increases have been shown to have a negative effect on academic performance and the athlete's physical and mental health.

The Big 10, the Big 12, and the ACC, clearly disregarded the welfare of the student athletes and their fans because the television money is too good. Even with the SEC additions of Oklahoma and Texas, all 16 teams will be in either the central or the eastern time zone. I am glad there are no cross-country trips for SEC athletics. The new NIL rules, transfer portal, and conference alignments have turned college football into semi-pro football. The conference leaders are prioritizing TV network revenue over the welfare of athletes and fans. The athletes are no longer students, and college education has become an afterthought. Many traditions have been eliminated. Still, I will stay interested in Aggie football until I die. My excitement level fluctuates, but I will never lose interest.

Athanasius said:

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Kind of agree.

My son plays club Rugby for another college. Those kids are student athletes. No scholarships. They just do it for the love of the game, and camaraderie.

A totally different gameday experience.

It is night and day difference.

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This. At this point, if you even get a scholarship you obviously don't give a **** about the game. Play for free or GTFO. Don't even get me started on little league fundraisers.

some folks are confusing "caring" with "spending money"

many people will still care...will always care...

but they're not going to spend the same amount of money / time anymore

instead of getting season tickets and paying the annual per seat donation...

they will just go to 2 or 3 games per year and buy off SeatGeek Saturday morning for low prices

or stay home and watch / stream the game on TV

Youknowwho777 said:

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god I'm starting to hate this android and its auto spell corrections lol.

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I think it's my keyboard. My old Samsung worked fine, but this A54 is glitchy.

Can't wait to see the Duke of the West play the Stanford of the East, aka Duke vs. Stanford.

I welcome the booing of the players when they don't perform well. This is now professional sports, so they should be treated the same.

Seamaster said:

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Finding it hard to get excited and care very much about Aggie football. Its not just BAS. Its the NIL and the portal and the whole jaded memory of the 'student athlete.'

You see, back in the old days players, except in rare occasions, stuck around for at least 3 years, usually 4, and in that time they gave it all to the maroon and white. So you could cheer for them and see them grow and develop.

Watching the Ja'Mar Toombs video the other day about him earning his degree is case and point. He is an Aggie through and through. Nowadays, can you count the mercenaries who come in for one season? Its just not the same....

Finding it hard to care.

Now get off my lawn.

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I feel this exact way. Dropped Premium and dropped my season tickets. I'll still watch some from home. I'm pivoting to less hyped Aggie sports for in person viewing though.

Im just going to state I agree with everything you wrote save the West Coast not waking up before 9 to watch college football. 9AM kickoffs are one of the single greatest things about PST.

The bad thing is all the other sports get dragged along for the ride when the conference moves were only made for football reasons.

We need to spin off football into its own system and restore regional conferences for non-revenue sports. And football needs contracts because this unlimited free agency system we have now is ridiculous.

Excellent points, and it just shows how big college football has become in the marketpkace. It's become a huge money grab for everyone involved with no overarching mission and objectives. This facilitates longterm destructive decisions for the "student athlete" and the sport in general.

Will still care of course, but it's so different from the game we grew up with. What made me "an Aggie" as a kid was following guys like Curtis Dickey and Jacob Green and George Woodard etc. They felt like part of the identity of the school. Same with Earl Campbell, Mike Singletary, Marcus Allen etc etc. Well, when these guys will just up and ditch your ass after one year because they got a better offer at a lesser program……..there goes 100% of that old appeal. It's not the NIL. We all know they've been on the payroll in some form or fashion for decades. It's the merry go round of the portal that's ruining it for us old timers

College sports has really lost its luster in the last 5 + years. First it was NIL, which originally I had no issues with. I thought kids would get paid $500 bucks to sign autographs in the mall or get paid a few thousands to do car commercials. Turns out kids are getting paid millions. Its out of control. Now athletes can be paid directly by schools. They are employees, no longer student athletes imo. Regional rivalries are dead and conference titles don't mean anything anymore. Teams leaving traditional conferences to form super-conferences. Soon the Big 10 and SEC will be like the AFC and the NFC in the FL. Transfer portal has made players free agents. Players can play for 3 schools in 4 (+) years. I like the college football playoff originally, but now with 12 teams its watered down. March Madness will probably expand more teams in the next few years as well. Watered down product for the sake of $.

Absolutely care and very much looking forward to seeing what Elko brings. What's better than being at Kyle Field with 100,000
fellow Aggie family members? My college roommates and I make it a weekend and attend the games together, including sitting in the rain for the entirety of the Appalachian State game. We are thrilled with the wins but we don't dwell on the losses. Either way, we eat well and drink well and enjoy each other's company. We're family.
Really hate having to deal with the obnoxious sips again though.

These posts to me scream "Tired of being a good fan, I'm now a fair weathered fan, will only exert the necessary energy and emotion when I know it won't fail me". The same line of thinking that we antagonize other schools for. So have we now become them?

sincereag said:

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Excellent points, and it just shows how big college football has become in the marketpkace. It's become a huge money grab for everyone involved with no overarching mission and objectives. This facilitates longterm destructive decisions for the "student athlete" and the sport in general.

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Takes me back again to Elko's comment the other day...."We're a billion dollar industry with no real leadership or direction".

StinkyPinky said:

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These posts to me scream "Tired of being a good fan, I'm now a fair weathered fan, will only exert the necessary energy and emotion when I know it won't fail me". The same line of thinking that we antagonize other schools for. So have we now become them?

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Don't do that.

I've flown to games. I've driven across many states to attend games. I've been out of state to watch Aggie baseball. I've attended bowl games, volleyball, basketball games etc

I've even attended an Aggie football game with a ruptured ear drum

Hell yeah I care. One of the best home schedules in a long time. A new coach. It may end in the same disappointment. Or it might be a hell of a good time! Who knows?

As for NIL? Paying players was going on back in the 80s, 90s, etc. You just are more aware of it now. Changes nothing for me, personally. The portal kind of stinks just because of roster turnover, but there are still enough guys left on the team that I know from last year to bridge that gap a bit.

The transfer portal is killing my interest, even though most years my team (Texas) will benefit. Too much roster turnover these days. Severs the connection between students/alums and the players when so many hop from team to team.

I think they messed up getting rid of the one year sit out for transfers.

I also think conferences are too big. They should be around ten teams where you play everyone. And more regional. That being said, I do like the move to the SEC as we will likely play our three historical rivals every single year. I hope to see a nine game conference schedule with three permanent rivals. Then you can play the other 6 twice in 4 years. It is ridiculous that A&M has played Georgia once in 12 years. That kind of setup is absurd.

Aggie Class of 2026 said:

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StinkyPinky said:

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These posts to me scream "Tired of being a good fan, I'm now a fair weathered fan, will only exert the necessary energy and emotion when I know it won't fail me". The same line of thinking that we antagonize other schools for. So have we now become them?

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Don't do that.

I've flown to games. I've driven across many states to attend games. I've been out of state to watch Aggie baseball. I've attended bowl games, volleyball, basketball games etc

I've even attended an Aggie football game with a ruptured ear drum

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Even more reason to fight off the apathy. Why let it go all to waste?

StinkyPinky said:

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Aggie Class of 2026 said:

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StinkyPinky said:

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These posts to me scream "Tired of being a good fan, I'm now a fair weathered fan, will only exert the necessary energy and emotion when I know it won't fail me". The same line of thinking that we antagonize other schools for. So have we now become them?

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Don't do that.

I've flown to games. I've driven across many states to attend games. I've been out of state to watch Aggie baseball. I've attended bowl games, volleyball, basketball games etc

I've even attended an Aggie football game with a ruptured ear drum

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Even more reason to fight off the apathy. Why let it go all to waste?

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Aggie culture won't change until a generation or so is completely out of the picture.

I believe it will probably take Gen X or millennials to take over completely

Nope.

I care but not nearly as much as much as I used to. When I was younger losses would really piss me off and my wife would not want to be around for the rest of the day but now that I am in my 40's when we lose I just turn the TV off and go hang out with her or the kids and not worry about it since there is nothing I can do about it.

DonHenley said:

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College sports has really lost its luster in the last 5 + years. First it was NIL, which originally I had no issues with. I thought kids would get paid $500 bucks to sign autographs in the mall or get paid a few thousands to do car commercials. Turns out kids are getting paid millions. Its out of control. Now athletes can be paid directly by schools. They are employees, no longer student athletes imo. Regional rivalries are dead and conference titles don't mean anything anymore. Teams leaving traditional conferences to form super-conferences. Soon the Big 10 and SEC will be like the AFC and the NFC in the FL. Transfer portal has made players free agents. Players can play for 3 schools in 4 (+) years. I like the college football playoff originally, but now with 12 teams its watered down. March Madness will probably expand more teams in the next few years as well. Watered down product for the sake of $.

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Let's see. Would I prefer a watered down playoff game for A&M or a non watered down Gallery Furniture bowl? Tough decision.

Of all the teams I follow, including Rangers, Cowboys, Mavs, Tarheels, Aggies, the title I want the most of anything is the CWS for the Aggies. The Cowboys have won 5, Dirk got his, the Rangers got theirs, UNC has won 6. This leaves the Ags with nothing. I know I'm in the minority, but I would totally lose it if I ever see that dogpile at Omaha.

Aggie Class of 2026 said:

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I'm probably a few years away from turning into a box score/TV only fan

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Same age and I've been there for years. I watch the games when I'm home but don't make it a point to be available for them. And the moment it appears to start heading south I generally turn it off entirely. Life is too short to waste minutes of elevated blood pressure on a game kids play who I will never have any sort of interaction with. During college and immediately after it felt different. Different season of life. I still read up on it and glance at texags on occasion mostly just to kill time/boredom.

I hear ya.

I liked the idea of watching student athletes. Even if that term was a bit misleading traditionally.

I don't want to watch pro athletes play college football. If the logo on the helmet loses its meaning at some point my interest will tank completely

I feel the same way OP

Been saying it for months now

I used to live and breathe Aggie Football. Now I only halfway care at all

I feel like they ruined something I loved

BAS has flattened me like a pancake into the concrete by watching Aggie football through the years, but I will always care! Unconditional love type thing

StinkyPinky said:

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These posts to me scream "Tired of being a good fan, I'm now a fair weathered fan, will only exert the necessary energy and emotion when I know it won't fail me". The same line of thinking that we antagonize other schools for. So have we now become them?

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I just got back from Hoover. Knowing we were not going to go all out to win.

Don't give me that crap.

Aggie Class of 2026 said:

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NIL has nothing to do with it for me. I'm 44 years old. Seems the older you get, the less you care. Or maybe it's age and the fact we have bad culture that doesn't truly care about winning titles like so many other programs.

I'm probably a few years away from turning into a box score/TV only fan

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User name does not check out.

Hullabaloo81 said:

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What's better than being at Kyle Field with 100,000 fellow Aggie family members?

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Answer: Being there with your football team who are Aggie family members too, and who aren't skipping your bowl game and transferring to Ole Miss the next day.


You won't be seeing these "family photos" 40 years from now. You're dreaming if you think otherwise.

Not as much as I used to. Jimbo's underperformance and stubbornness just really quenched my fire. I'm also older and don't keep up with it like I used to.

I am curious how Elko will do at Duke 2.0 this year.

dixichkn said:

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StinkyPinky said:

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These posts to me scream "Tired of being a good fan, I'm now a fair weathered fan, will only exert the necessary energy and emotion when I know it won't fail me". The same line of thinking that we antagonize other schools for. So have we now become them?

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I just got back from Hoover. Knowing we were not going to go all out to win.

Don't give me that crap.

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Wasn't talking about you

It isn't NIL or the portal specifically but the resulting roster turnover. I can't keep track of who is or isn't on the team. Never feels like you get to connect with guys as representatives of your universities. They have a good season and go pro or transfer or you get some stud from another team but know nothing about him and he's on to the NFL 6 months later before you figure out how to pronounce his name. Really frustrating fan experience.

Stupidest thing to me is those who think the $20 million has anything to do with NIL money. The colleges seem to be among thee idiots.

Now every teams will be spending $20 million PLUS whatever they spend on NIL. The smart teams will be hiring cap managers real quickly because that $20 million won't be split evenly and each individual player will be getting their share of the $20 PLUS whatever they can negotiate with the school/NIL guy.

Talk about a cluster F. These schools took a disaster and made it worse.