As the Saturday countdown to Week 1 continues to trickle down, one can't help but wonder how different the sport of college football has become.
Whether it's the expanded College Football Playoff, which began this past season, NIL abundance, or TV rights, the sport is evolving in such a way where its popularity is, by some miracle, being overshadowed by the NFL during one of the sport's biggest weekends: the opening round of the College Football Playoff going head-to-head with select NFL games.
This year, it's the same story. Two potentially critical NFL games: Bears-Packers and Eagles-Commanders, four teams primarily suited for Sunday afternoons, attempt to outnumber the College Football Playoff Saturday, Dec. 20.
Not everyone is thrilled, including USA Today's Matt Hayes. In a recent column, he attempted to rip the NFL for not working directly with the College Football Playoff, citing a lack of regard for its other football counterpart.
"The NFL isn’t your friend, it’s the greatest threat to college football’s postseason," Hayes wrote.
He's probably right.
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The NFL dominates Thursday nights, the occasional Friday (even with a standalone), late-winter Saturdays, and, of course, Sunday.
College football is in a lose-lose situation. It's asking the NFL to accommodate the sport when the league won't accommodate itself.
As Hayes notes throughout, there should be an ultimatum from the CFP side against the NFL to disrupt the workflow entirely.
"The NCAA or CFP Board of Directors (or whoever is running the damn sport at this point), should send a letter to all 32 NFL teams," Hayes wrote. "No more practice and game access to all FBS and FCS teams, no more game and practice tape, no more access to coaches and assistant coaches or anyone else connected to players — until the NFL eliminates scheduling conflicts with the CFP."
After all, the College Football Playoff means much more in December than half of the league's games in Week 16, 17, or 18, given a plethora of those teams are either eliminated from postseason contention or are on the brink of doing so.
Nevertheless, both sides are going to do what's best for each other, even if it means not directly working together.
Either way, it's football. Fans will still watch it. Regarding which games, it's up to the fans' discretion. No matter what, though, football remains the priority on that Saturday, starting a slew of games leading up to the Super Bowl next February.