There was a time when the biggest storylines of college football’s offseason dealt with national signing day, the NFL Draft, and the spring scrimmage that most teams hold at the end of April. That time has long passed. Today, college football seems to find headlines 365 days a year, and this 2024 offseason looks no different.
Yes, college football is over, but if you continue to follow the sport, you should have no issue finding entertainment between now and Week 0. Here are just some of the biggest storylines of college football.
1. Conference Realignment
Conference realignment has dominated the past few summers and is very likely to once again be one of the biggest storylines of college football this year. A few years ago, it was Oklahoma and Texas announcing their departure to the SEC and BYU, Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF joining the Big 12. Last year, it was the Pac 12 falling apart, most of the G5 leagues realigning, and new teams like Jacksonville State and James Madison jumping up to the FBS level.
This year, there are two big storylines to watch:
- Despite Texas and Oklahoma starting all of the realignment drama a few years ago, the two teams will finally be entering the SEC on July 1st. Of all the teams changing conferences, these two will definitely dominate the headlines more than any other two teams up to this point.
- The ACC feels a lot like the Pac 12 did last year. With Florida Stade desperately trying to leave, they could cause the same kind of domino effect that Oregon and Washington caused to the Pac 12. If the ACC does fall apart, it’s anyone’s guess how the conferences will end up realigning.
2. Transfer Portal and NIL Changes
It’s no secret that the transfer portal and NIL need to change. Whether it is a salary cap, a postseason clause, or changing the dates when a player can enter the portal, there needs to be change, and there is little doubt that there will be.
The transfer portal and NIL are still very new to college football. It was expected that these two options would change football, but nobody saw the extent of how much drama they’d cause. Of the 19,500+/- players, 2,000 have already entered the portal with another 1,000 or so expected in the spring. NIL has been a big reason for this, with players entering the portal with hopes of finding more money elsewhere.
It’s anyone’s guess what will change, or when, but it certainly will be one of the biggest stories of college football to watch.
3. Rule Changes in General
Every year there are new rules that are adopted in college football. While there is no particular rule that is screaming to be changed this upcoming season, there are a few that have been trending. Below are just a few of them
- Adopting UFL Onside Kick Rules – Rather than having a traditional onside kick, which has become almost impossible to recover with all the new rules, allow teams to line up for a 4th and 12 (or whatever) on their own 33-yard line. This would bring in a little more skill and a fair chance to get the ball back.
- Running Clock – Last year, college football implemented a new running clock rule that kept the clock running after a first down outside of the last two minutes of each half. This rule was met with criticism and complaints from fans and media, suggesting that perhaps the issue will be revisited.
- Kick Out of Bounds – A loophole has been figured out in college and NFL football where a player can go out of bounds and touch the ball, resulting in a kick out-of-bounds penalty. This is a loophole, and clearly not how the game was designed to be played. This seems like an obvious change that needs to happen.
4. Will the College Football Playoff Change?
We know that the College Football Playoff is going to expand to 12 teams. What we don’t know is the qualification process for the Playoff. Originally, the idea was to have the six highest-ranked conference champions and six at-large bids qualify.
With the Pac 12 now gone, the ACC on the brink of falling apart, and the SEC/Big10 bolstering their conferences, it really opens up how the selection process will now go. Will there be any automatic qualifiers? Will the G5 have any guaranteed representation? All of these questions will be answered in the coming weeks and months. Until then, it will be one of the biggest storylines of college football.
5. The Randomness of the Biggest Storylines of College Football
Perhaps the biggest storylines of college football this off-season are the stories nobody is talking about. Nobody saw the NIL and transfer portal taking off as quickly as it did. One day it was nothing and the next it was the biggest storyline of the summer. The same can be said about Texas and Oklahoma abruptly announcing their departure to the SEC.
Maybe the biggest storylines of college football between today and August 24th aren’t even on anyone’s radar right now.
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