If there is one word to describe the entire state of college football, the word chaos would be a good option. Whether it is the coaching carousel, the transfer portal, or NIL, college football is in total chaos. The NFL, on the other hand, can be described as very organized and in control, outside of perhaps firing coaches a little too quickly.
Both leagues are vastly popular and have their own hurdles and issues that need to be resolved. The reason the NFL seems to be in so much more control is their schedule and timeliness.
The Chaos of College Football
Sometimes, it feels like a bunch of people got into a room to decide the schedule of the college football and tried to make the absolute worst schedule possible, and then that accidentally got submitted and approved. Below is the schedule of college football and when things happen.
- Late August: Start of the College Football Season
- Thanksgiving Weekend: End of regular season for most teams
- December 4th: Transfer Portal Opens
- December 15th: Bowl Games Begin
- December 20th: Early National Signing Day (Most big-name players sign this day)
- December 31st/Jan 1st: New Year Six Bowls
- January 2nd: Transfer Portal Closes
- January 8th: National Championship
- February 7th: National Signing Day
- Late March/April: Spring Practices
- April 15th-30th: Spring Transfer Portal Opens
Additionally, if a Head Coach is hired or fired, that team is also allowed to transfer without penalty for 30 days, regardless of when it happens.
There are a few obvious issues here. First, for high school players I can’t imagine how frustrating it can be to sign with a team expecting to either start or be a backup and then have a transfer from another school come in and take their spot.
Another issue is players opting out of bowl games. With the transfer portal opening before the start of bowl season, many players don’t feel any need or desire to play another game for their team. The average college football team had nearly 15 players opt out of each game, many of whom were starters who may have been the difference in winning the bowl game.
Bowl games are already being diluted, but with the transfer portal, early National Signing Day, and many coaches being fired, the bowl games are becoming an afterthought. I watched college football talk shows this past bowl season where 90% of what they covered was anything but bowl games going that day.
Finally, with a team able to enter the portal immediately if their coach leaves, it creates an unfair advantage. 50+ starter caliber players left Alabama, Washington, and Arizona in January, essentially choosing wherever they wanted to go. This while other players on every other team have to sit and wait, watching as transfers come in and take their spots.
The Schedule of the NFL
The NFL does things so much better. Yes, there are some differences between college football and the NFL, but there is still a lot of room for chaos to happen if not taken care of correctly. Instead, look how the NFL schedule stacks up, and notice the order and timing of everything.
- August: Preseason Football Starts
- September: Regular Season Begins
- October 31st (halfway through the season): Trade Deadline
- January: Playoffs
- Febuary 11th: Super Bowl
- February 13th: NFL Combie Invitiations Given Out
- Late February: NFL Combine
- March 14th: Free Agency/Trades Open Again
- Late April: NFL Draft
Everything in the NFL makes sense. There are no super late trades, players opting out because of the ability to transfer, or players/coaches not having any idea how their roster is looking going into recruiting (draft/free agency). Teams are able to focus on one thing at a time. For the first half of the season they work on getting better and making trades. The latter half, they have their team and don’t have to worry about much roster turnaround.
After the Super Bowl, they turn their attention to the NFL Combine, followed by trades and free agency. Once the dust settles there, they focus on the NFL Draft and getting the best college talent they can. Finally, they start Spring Football and start to figure out who will make the final roster.
The Perfect College Football Schedule Format
Again, the NFL and College Football are different sports, and there is no way to run things exactly how the NFL does, but college football would be wise to take some notes. I’m not saying that this is the perfect way to do things, but here is a schedule that I believe would work better.
- Late August: Start of the College Football Season
- Thanksgiving Weekend: End of regular season for most teams
- December 15th: Bowl Games Begin
- December 20th: Early National Signing Day (Most big-name players sign this day)
- December 31st/Jan 1st: New Year Six Bowls
- January 2nd: Transfer Portal Opens
- January 8th: National Championship
- February 2nd: Transfer Portal Closes
- February 7th: National Signing Day
- Late March/April: Spring Practices
- After Spring Practice Finish: Spring Transfer Portal Opens
By changing the transfer portal date to after the bowl season, more players would be inclined to play. For many teams, their most viewed game of the season, or perhaps their only nationally televised game, maybe a bowl game. This would fix, or at least drastically improve, the situation with the transfer portal. This would also allow a high school athlete an option to either commit before or after the transfer portal closes. In my personal opinion, I imagine more players would wait until February when they know for sure who is where.
Something else this would do is keep interest in the sport for much longer. For the most part, the attention around college football is dead between the National Championship and spring football. Having more big-name transfers putting their name out in the middle of January/February and having more high school players sign in February would extend the interest for an extra month.
Get More Coverage on College Football
For more of the biggest storylines of College Football or the NFL, click here or follow me on X at @BYU_Gameday.