I love this debate and Saban was partially correct in his response:

Link:  http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nick-saban-...18109.html

 

 

1. The fans, media, etc wanted a playoff, which means, all these bowl games lose relevance

 

2. We have created an NFL farm system through college football, amateurism is a lie given to us by the NCAA so they don't have to pay, give scholarships or give out benefits beyond 3-4 years (free education is a garbage argument, look up paper classes, these kids don't get an education). These games don't matter to these kids because the NFL is waiting for them and these 500 little bowl games are effectively meaningless

 

3. The passion argument gets lost because the athlete owes nothing to the school that is churning him out for the next kid, or next money maker. You can't treat students the way the NCAA does and then expect passionate loyalty from them when you've created a business out of amateur athletics. 

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