had this conversation earlier today with a fellow M fan.
Assume for a second that northern intimidation of SEC and other elite southern schools may be damaging to CFB overall. That's a beginning premise to this.
Assume also that CFB viewership of northern schools is very strong nationwide because so many people went to B1G and other schools and have strong emotional attachments.
So, the argument was proposed to me back when the bad thing happened and App State beat Michigan that App State winning that game was "great for College Football"
The game happened as the result of M's arrogance, lazy coaching, poor citizenship, lack of moral fiber and any number of other things that could have caused such a comeuppance and was not by design of anything more sinister than whatever gamblers might have been interested in the result (JK). Not a conspiracy in the sense of the Protocols of the learned elders of Heisman or anything like it.
I propose after some reflection that Michigan going into the dumpster and ceding the B1G to OSU for a decade and a half with MSU raising its nose out of the burning couch fires enough to be relevant was not actually good for College Football.
It meant that serious talent went or stayed South. It meant that the highly valued TV product of B1G football was devalued. While Clemson and Alabama and an occasional LSU/Auburn team would show up basically the game was stuck with a lot of sameness.
Similarly, I think in this vein that CFB needs a strong and relevant Notre Dame which it does not have.
This is already too long a post but you get the idea. That the sport needs strong "Blue State" college teams. Its better when USC is strong. Its better when ND and Michigan are throwing haymakers at each other that first couple weeks and the result isn't going to destroy the loser.
Here is hoping that M can get to a point where it isn't ludicrous to think it could challenge for a natty.