College football expansion is rapidly changing the sport forever in ways that shake the foundation of tradition, passion, and pageantry.

College football is rapidly changing right before our eyes in ways that will alter the sport forever. Whenever there’s something new or change on the horizon, people are faced with a choice similar to the one college football fans are staring at in this moment. We can either embrace the change and newness of the landscape or spend time romanticizing the past with fear for the future. 

No sport or business are without flaws, but at the same time, no sport is more perfect than college football. The entire sport was built on passion, tradition, rivalries, regionality, people, and places. Lasting memories are created in each of those contexts for every fan base. The people in Ohio barely wear the color blue or use the letter M because of their disdain for Michigan…excuse me, that team up north. Sorry, Buckeye fans. 

Orange and Crimson splitting the Cotton Bowl, the state of Alabama’s Iron Bowl, Civil Wars, trophy games, Bedlam, Script Ohio, patented entrances and chants, and more are embedded into the fabric of the sport we all love. 

Nostalgia fills the air entering this fall because the sport changes forever once the national champion is crowned in January. Conference expansion and realignment shake the foundation of the past. USC, UCLA, Oregon, and Washington will all exit the historic PAC-12 conference for the Big Ten. Utah, the Arizona schools, and Colorado follow suit in leaving for the Big 12, meaning only four schools remain. 

Texas and Oklahoma will abandon the Big 12 for the vaunted and powerful SEC to form one of three super conferences alongside the as-of-right-now still traditional ACC. 

What will happen to the Apple Cup, Civil War, or Bedlam after this season? No one truly knows the answer, so relish the season in front of you. Take in every moment of passion, pageantry, and tradition that combine to create the most glorious group of weeks on the calendar. 

Fall Saturdays are religious and unpredictable, which is where the beauty of college football lies. All of this is rooted in people — whether coach, player, fan, or student, the people are the most important aspect of the game. While Expansion plagues the traditionalists and sport as we know it, rest assured the people around the game will be preserved because of the love shared to make college football so great. 

Change is scary and is never without anxiety. Never change at the expense of losing your core values. I should echo that louder for the people in the back. “Never change at the expense of losing your core values.”

Realignment and Expansion are a perfect case study to personify that point. There is good ahead for college football. But before it happens, pour one out for the traditionalists and enjoy the closest form of perfection sports have to offer and the regionality we grew up loving gets taken away. 

Soak in the nostalgia, root and cheer harder than ever before, take in the regional rivalries that are now TBD for the next meeting, and truly enjoy every Saturday during the 2023 season. It will all culminate with the final four-team playoff in the postseason, so until then, raise a glass for the best sport on earth while it’s still the college football we know. Hopefully this time next year, we still recognize it.