Any Given Saturday: New college football paradigm brings chaos, huge buyouts

Any Given Sunday. That's pro football's mantra astir however adjacent the league's worst squad is susceptible of beating its best.

The NFL's mean borderline of triumph this season: 10.8 points.

The mean borderline of triumph successful Southeastern Conference games this season? Try 10.03.

Parity -- astatine slightest a measurement of it -- has travel to assemblage football. It's a byproduct of the transportation portal, NIL and nonstop revenue-sharing. Anybody tin beryllium bully these days ... oregon astatine slightest bully capable for 1 game.

Any Given Saturday.

Ancient Heismans successful a trophy lawsuit and league title banners connected the partition won't wounded a program's recruiting, but they definite don't substance arsenic overmuch arsenic they utilized to. This is astir transactions, not tradition. The endowment has spread.

In the apical 10, the Associated Press canvass features Indiana (2), Georgia Tech (7) and Vanderbilt (10).

Meanwhile, Penn State, Florida, Arkansas and UCLA person each already fired their manager this season. The temper besides isn't large astatine Florida State, Auburn, LSU oregon Wisconsin. There are adjacent grumbles astatine 3-3 Clemson (among galore others).

College shot has ne'er been this competitive, this chaotic -- oregon this interesting. The amusive isn't being hoarded by a fewer ace powers. The bully teams aren't arsenic bully and the atrocious teams aren't arsenic bad. The pursuit for the playoff present runs dozens of teams deep. Seasons tin plaything connected a dime.

Two Saturdays ago, Arizona State mislaid to Utah by 32 points. Last Saturday, a sold-out stadium of Sun Devils stormed the tract to observe beating then-No. 7 Texas Tech 26-22 and keeping ASU's playoff hopes alive.

It's fantastic.

It besides has near assemblage shot successful a unusual place, caught betwixt 2 eras.

In an earlier era, large programs that person invested heavy for generations are expected to bushed the teams they person ever beaten. Losses to non-name brands person traditionally been a motion of a failed cognition with nary anticipation for the future.

For example, 2 weeks agone Penn State should person handled a 3-2 Northwestern squad the mode the Nittany Lions erstwhile defeated 34 consecutive unranked opponents nether James Franklin.

But we've entered a caller time erstwhile conscionable astir immoderate squad tin enactment unneurotic a beardown roster connected the fly. Even if those schools don't surge up the polls arsenic Indiana and others have, they tin astatine slightest beryllium competitory capable to bushed you.

A new, progressive dollar, with wealth sent straight to players (or invested successful top-line scouting) is much invaluable than the old, passive dollar that paid for fancy locker rooms.

The result: Northwestern 22, Penn State 21. One of the difference-makers for Northwestern wasn't a erstwhile five-star recruit, but Griffin Wilde, who caught 7 passes for 94 yards and a touchdown. He arrived this play arsenic a transportation ... from South Dakota State.

Compounding everything is that programs of each sizes person asked their boosters to money rosters, and that brings caller expectations. It's 1 happening to sorb a perceived atrocious nonaccomplishment erstwhile you've paid for a summons to the game. It's different erstwhile you're helping to wage the quarterback. Rolled heads are demanded, ASAP.

Hence, Penn State fired Franklin contempt his 104-45 grounds astatine the school.

Was Franklin's dismissal justified? Or Billy Napier astatine Florida, oregon Sam Pittman astatine Arkansas, oregon Mike Gundy astatine Oklahoma State, oregon truthful connected and truthful connected frankincense far?

Sure. You get paid similar these guys, you person to deliver. High salaries, precocious stakes. There is nary specified happening arsenic "fair."

Part of what makes assemblage shot large is that it is hardwired to cull patience and perspective, adjacent if diligent mightiness beryllium the nonstop happening programs request to be. No 1 was calling for Andy Reid's occupation successful Kansas City erstwhile the Chiefs started 0-2.

Yet present successful precocious October, astir anyone not inactive successful the playoff pursuit is reasoning astir canning their coach. Even a fewer who intelligibly tin triumph the nationalist rubric aren't acold removed from specified discussions -- bash we person to occurrence up "The Paul Finebaum Show" from past period aft Alabama mislaid to Florida State?

Regime alteration costs a fortune, yet it happens anyway. Penn State is connected the hook for arsenic overmuch arsenic $49 cardinal for discarding Franklin. If Florida State cuts Mike Norvell, it owes $50 million-plus. He led the Seminoles to a 13-0 regular play successful 2023. They are 5-15 since. Norvell is 44 years old. The past clip Florida State won an ACC game, helium was 42.

Castles crumble that accelerated these days.

Not everyone tin win, but everyone thinks they should.

Not lone are determination not capable large coa...