Who Killed College Football?

Falcon Scott Productions
  • 4.9 (182)
  • FOOTBALL
  • SERIES

College football has undergone radical, sometimes alarming changes in recent years, and this show explores the motives, history, and power behind six different suspects who have reshaped an American sport right before our eyes. Hosted by Steven Godfrey and Ryan Nanni.

  1. Who Killed College Football - Trailer

    EPISODE 1

    Who Killed College Football - Trailer

    Coming soon: Steven Godfrey and Ryan Nanni attempt to find out Who Killed College Football? in a six-part series examining the major power players who have wreaked so much havoc on the sport This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit wkcfb.substack.com

    2 min
  2. Prologue: College Football Is Dead, Long Live College Football

    EPISODE 1

    Prologue: College Football Is Dead, Long Live College Football

    Before we dive into the six suspects in the death of college football, let’s begin with a confession. College football is, in fact, very much alive, with upsets being sprung, conferences continuing to realign, and expanded playoff spots to fret over. The sport remains incredibly popular, entertaining, and, at least for certain segments, financially lucrative.But the college football you used to know? That might be dead, whether you’re unhappy about the slow erasure of amateurism, swollen superconferences disregarding geography, the power of television networks to shape the future, and any number of other changes that could shake your belief in what college football was, is, or should be.If you’re feeling that way, well, so is Nick Saban. So let’s start digging into how we got here in the first place. Producer: Michael Henahan Researcher: Alex McDaniel This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit wkcfb.substack.com

    26 min
  3. Suspect Number 1: Television

    EPISODE 1

    Suspect Number 1: Television

    College football’s rise as a valuable TV product is still relatively new. For decades, the sport either couldn’t be televised or was limited at a national level. But once that market opened up, networks moved fast to get more of everything – more games, more bowls, more playoffs. They’re not just broadcast partners either. These companies have found a way to acquire partial ownership of college football, becoming business partners with conferences. Thanks to television, it’s easier than ever to watch almost every game at the FBS level. It’s also a lot harder to tell what that level’s going to look like in the future.Producer: Michael HenahanResearcher: Alex McDaniel This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit wkcfb.substack.com

    1h 5m
  4. Bonus Episode: Television Q&A

    EPISODE 1

    Bonus Episode: Television Q&A

    After we review each suspect in our college football murder mystery, we’ll be taking questions from paid subscribers about that episode – what went into making it, topics we didn’t cover, questions about the history we laid out, whatever. We got some great questions after the TV episode and enjoyed batting them around. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit wkcfb.substack.com

    1h 5m
  5. Suspect Number 2: Conferences

    EPISODE 1

    Suspect Number 2: Conferences

    Conferences didn’t used to be where all the bargaining power resided in college football, and their concerns used to be exceedingly local. Today, they’re conglomerates locked into escalating wars of spending and revenue, and leaning on their market strength (or weakness) to shape everything from the postseason to realignment. They’ve even found a way to make that business competition important to fans, and the conferences have no reason to slow down now.Producer: Michael HenahanResearcher: Alex McDaniel This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit wkcfb.substack.com

    1h 8m
  6. Bonus Episode: Conferences Q&A

    EPISODE 1

    Bonus Episode: Conferences Q&A

    As we do after each suspect, we took questions from the paid members of the WKCFB community about the conferences episode. (Temple is mentioned twice here, to give you a sense of how winding this gets.) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit wkcfb.substack.com

    51 min
  7. Bonus Episode: Texas A&M President Emeritus R. Bowen Loftin

    EPISODE 1

    Bonus Episode: Texas A&M President Emeritus R. Bowen Loftin

    R. Bowen Loftin served as president of Texas A&M from 2010 to 2014. He also appeared in our Conferences episode, discussing the influence the Longhorn Network had on Texas A&M’s decision to head to the SEC. But he had more to share about life in the old Big 12, including some revelations about the Governor’s office and the reality of the conference’s power structure that were news to us. For our paid subscribers, we put together a compilation of interesting moments from the full interview Steven conducted with Mr. Loftin. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit wkcfb.substack.com

    27 min
  8. Suspect Number 3: The NCAA

    EPISODE 1

    Suspect Number 3: The NCAA

    The NCAA spent the better part of 70 years stamping out threats to amateurism wherever they could find them. From big scandals to seemingly minor violations, the Association was there to defend the idea that college football shouldn’t be about money, at least for the players. For a while, the courts, media, and public opinion all backed them up. But as the riches in the sport grew, the NCAA became something of a comic villain, and when the time came for college football’s relationship with labor to evolve, the NCAA never seemed ready to lead the charge.Producer: Michael HenahanResearcher: Alex McDaniel This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit wkcfb.substack.com

    1h 9m
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4.9
out of 5
182 Ratings

About

College football has undergone radical, sometimes alarming changes in recent years, and this show explores the motives, history, and power behind six different suspects who have reshaped an American sport right before our eyes. Hosted by Steven Godfrey and Ryan Nanni.

Information

  • Creator
    Falcon Scott Productions
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    17
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Falcon Scott Productions
  • Show Website
    Who Killed College Football?

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