This game damages Saban’s and Alabama’s reputation, but still the greatest coach and overall program in college football history and still at the top. Kudos to Clemson, but that program will fall back over time — and perhaps immediately after Dabo S succeeds Saban as AL head coach.
The big question of the night has to do with ratings. Ticket prices were stunningly bad, bad, bad; and if TV ratings were down even a bit there is trouble for the CFP. The NCAA now enters the half-way point of the current 12-year contract, and what we may see is that the Rose Bowl had more ticket sales and bigger audiences than the national championship game. I am a B1G fan and do not want the CFP renewed, whether it is 4 games or 8. The B1G and Pac12 together have most of the flagship state universities and cover the biggest markets and most of the US. I want them to exit the NCAA altogether, go back to having their conference champions meet in the Rose Bowl, and generally thumb their noses at the college football establishment. I’m not even suggesting that they play the same caliber football as the SEC. I just have no idea why they would sign up for a deal that is not in their financial, academic, or overall best interest.