That’s a damn nice $850 million stadium, Northwestern.
Reimagining the college football experience.
Premium viewing for all fans.
Not a bad seat in the house.
Special sound amplifying roofs that might actually make Northwestern’s student section audible.
Everything the college football stadium of the future could and should be.
It’s all happening at little ol' Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.
I was thinking about this the other day.
I’m admittedly not even sure how true it is.
People in college football always talk about SEC money.
Fast forward a few weeks, Indiana signs Cignetti to an 8-year, $72 million contract extension.
$8 million per year with an annual $1 million per year extension bonus.
That’s more money than Florida pays Billy Napier.
More money than Texas A&M pays last offseason’s hottest available coach, Mike Elko.
More money than Auburn, Arkansas, and South Carolina are all paying their head coaches.
SEC schools like to think that nobody can compete with them financially when it comes to football.
But that couldn’t be further from the truth.
The rest of the country merely lets the SEC dominate college football.
Schools like Indiana and Northwestern could flip the college football world on its head if they so choose.
Correct me if I’m wrong.
So that’s what I’ll do.
If you look at endowments, the idea of “SEC money” is a myth.
The SEC doesn’t have more money than anyone else.
They’ve just been more willing to spend it on football.
The SEC has dominated college football for as long as I can remember.
A lot of B1G schools in that top 20.
Some ACC as well.
Not that Georgia & Alabama aren’t large universities with sizable endowments.
They both come in right around a respectable $2 billion.
Being in the middle of the pack (public school-wise) is nothing to be ashamed about.
Alabama and Georgia have all their chips in the middle.
SEC schools currently put all their resources towards creating the best possible football team their university can produce.
Football in the SEC right now is as good as SEC football will ever be.
But it doesn’t have to be that way.
I’m not saying it’s going to happen.
It almost certainly will not.
But now that schools can pay players directly.
Maybe we’re seeing Northwestern go the Indiana route as well.
what the SEC does now).
Then the SEC is fucked.
The SEC is maxed out.
With the exception of the Texas school who apparently have more money than god.
But even that would be a shame.
That couldn’t feel great.
I’m sure Alabama and Georgia will continue being premier college football programs for the remainder of my life.
But just realize… that’s only because Vanderbilt lets them.
They might get sick of trying when it comes to academics.
That’s all it takes to be a part of this College Football Playoff thing?
Fuck doing research that nobody cares about.
Football looks way more fun.
Let’s invest our money that way."
That was the thought I had over the weekend.
I’m sure there are many holes you’ve got the option to poke in my argument.
Are those endowment numbers accurate?
What even is an endowment exactly?
But deep down the SEC knows there’s some truth to it.
So enjoy the football success while it’s possible for you to southeastern United States.
You never know when Stanford might wake up and decide to buy your entire conference.
