Generally, we’re the TV executives and they’re us. We wish to get after them and blame them for issues, which they principally deserve.
However all of us — execs, followers, rights holders, stakeholders, headset holders, anybody who cares about school soccer and isn’t a school soccer coach — ought to gasp collectively at what got here out of the mouth of Nebraska coach Matt Rhule this week. Not as a result of he’s flawed. As a result of he was sincere and he’s too proper for consolation, which implies we’ve discovered one thing in regards to the School Soccer Playoff that truly deserves change.
Extra groups? The primary 12-team Playoff positive appeared good to me. Auto bids, 4 apiece for the SEC and Huge Ten and a pittance of two apiece for the ACC and Huge 12? Tremendous, if you wish to declare that school soccer is a rigged standing pageant greater than it’s precise competitors, and for those who’re positive endangering its long-term well being on the expense of your egocentric, gluttonous, short-sighted inclinations.
A variety system that extra explicitly rewards high quality nonleague scheduling? That’s truly value discussing. Rhule laid out why very clearly on “The Triple Choice” podcast, in a solution to a “one very last thing” query from City Meyer.
Meyer advised Rhule he’s “actually frightened” about nonconference scheduling transferring ahead — and he must be, now that he’s a TV man — as a result of “it’s the fitting factor for Ohio State to play Texas (to start out the 2025 season), however why?”
“On the finish of the day, Ryan Day has acquired to make the Playoff. Matt Rhule has acquired to make the Playoff,” Meyer mentioned, mentioning sequence followers would love such because the Nebraska-Oklahoma rivalry that was killed by realignment (learn: TV folks) and reprised in 2021-22. “It’s nice for followers, however is it nice for Matt Rhule and the Huskers?”
Rhule, an unpopular man in Knoxville, Tenn., lately for killing a Nebraska-Tennessee house and residential that was imagined to occur in 2026-27, was already shaking his head as Meyer acquired to the query.
“Why would you ever … why would you ever play these video games?” Rhule mentioned. “If we’re being fully sincere. Coach Meyer, I’m on the level in my profession the place, in my fourth job and getting fired within the NFL, I type of say what I really feel these days. I may care much less.”
(Be aware: He means he “couldn’t” care much less.)
Rhule continued: “Why on the planet would a Huge Ten crew who’s already taking part in 9 convention video games, why would you ever play a kind of video games?”
“HOW ABOUT FOR THE FANS,” we scream in unison (including in a whisper, “and TV folks”).
The primary half positive isn’t sufficient, not for a coach who’s judged on outcomes and, in at present’s world, may have a restricted period of time to at the very least get his crew into the School Soccer Playoff or anticipate a pink slip. I wouldn’t blame any Nebraska followers for being irritated with Rhule, by the way in which. He simply killed the spring sport. I’m positive Nebraska isn’t charging followers much less for his or her tickets in 2026, however Tennessee has been changed with Bowling Inexperienced.
And now Rhule is publicly exasperated on the concept of caring in regards to the total high quality of the product his clients pay a lot to obtain.
Nebraska followers are as loyal, rabid and starved as they arrive, in fact. If Rhule wins, none of this issues — maintaining gamers out of the sight of would-be poachers within the spring will probably be an excellent transfer — and the tailgates for Bowling Inexperienced and Houston Christian will nonetheless be popping. If he loses, he’s gone, and I assume you may tack this onto the record of grievances.
Now that profitable school soccer seasons are going to encompass as many as 17 video games, I’m guessing each Energy 4 coach would like to maintain issues as gentle as doable earlier than convention play. Rhule is simply the one who mentioned it out loud.
The problem for school soccer is to have the ability to reply Rhule’s query as such: “You play a top quality nonleague sport towards one other Energy 4 crew as a result of a win helps your case to get into the Playoff and a loss doesn’t bury you.”
That comes all the way down to the choice committee. Sure, there’s a power of schedule metric, however we’re coming off a season during which Indiana made the sector of 12 after taking part in a nonleague trio of Florida Worldwide, Western Illinois and Charlotte. It’s not arduous to see how a coach in the identical league could be trying to throttle down.
Indiana deserved to be in, by the way in which, for the ten,000th time. That’s straightforward to argue. It’s unattainable to argue that Indiana deserved to be in and that nonconference scheduling issues sufficient to the committee.
Right here’s the place the individuals who would serve their very own pursuits on the expense of the game’s long-term well being may chime in with an endorsement of the plan for auto bids galore.
SEC commissioner Greg Sankey and Huge Ten commissioner Tony Petitti gained’t truly rise up in public and reply for this ridiculous concept. However they may not thoughts if of us take a second to ponder and focus on the thought of Huge Ten and SEC groups, understanding that the highest 4 in every league get in for positive, being a bit extra prepared to tackle greater September video games.
Probably even an SEC/Huge Ten problem of types? Does that sweeten the pot sufficient? Hmmmm?
No. Hell no. On high of the particular devaluing of a lot of the late phases of the common season that the auto bids would deliver, on high of the discount in arguing across the committee’s rankings — arguing is a school soccer pillar, in case you didn’t discover — I don’t suppose this may work anyway.
Extra probably, September nonconference video games could be like NFL preseason video games. Who’s making an attempt to get anybody vital harm if the convention race is the one factor?
The committee must matter and it must do higher. Rhule went heavy on the hyperbole in defending his case, saying “early-season wins didn’t imply a factor” in 2024 and “for those who’re scoring factors and blowing folks out late within the yr, you’re going to make the Playoff.”
I’d argue Georgia’s neutral-site annihilation of Clemson helped Georgia overcome its later failures, Texas’ win at Michigan gave it a notion head begin that mattered even after Michigan pale, Tennessee’s rout of NC State did the identical regardless of an analogous fade and that SMU not paying too dearly for an in depth loss to BYU is a knowledge level in favor of excellent scheduling. Additionally, that video games like this will help groups, too.
We’d like auto bids just for champions, and a committee that rewards wins in vital nonleague video games greater than it penalizes for losses in these video games. That must be prioritized, it must be made clear to coaches, and possibly it must be official and mathematical ultimately.
And for those who suppose that’s a dumb concept, they’re speaking a few bunch of play-in video games to spruce up convention championship weekend, which appears like Pop-A-Shot as an NBA All-Star Recreation various. Preserve these TV folks at arm’s size.
(Photograph: Michael Reaves / Getty Photographs)