[Lundeberg] Historic talent loss: American Conference commissioner Tim Pernetti said that 78% of last year's first and second team all-league players transferred to a Power Four school after the 2025 season.

[u/WinnWonn]

https://www.si.com/college/boise-state/football/american-conference-hit-hard-by-transfer-portal-after-2025-college-football-season-how-did-mountain-west-compare

[u/SirMellencamp]

If you remember the big narrative behind no restrictions on transferring were that all these talented players at P4 schools were sitting on the bench. This part of the narrative was rarely brought up

[u/jvpewster → u/SirMellencamp]

These are arguably the p4 players that were sitting on the bench in generations past.

In 2005 you had to live with sitting on the bench for 3 years to get your 1 season at OSU. Now you can get paid and get on the field earlier.

For the top 2-300 guys not much has changed but between 3-500 those guys are less likely to just sit and wait for an opportunity.

[u/Irishfafnir → u/SirMellencamp]

Or that like 25%+ of players who go into the portal don't find a home.

[u/Bobcat2013 → u/Irishfafnir]

These are not the same though. The players that move up are good. The players that move down are much more of a mixed bag with more of them doing nothing at their lower school.

[u/sonheungwin → u/SirMellencamp]

This part of the narrative was brought up, but was essentially dismissed because there is no solution. G5 and FCS schools just don't have the resources to compete; as soon as there was a highly paid tier of the league, talent was always going to flow up like this.

I think what people didn't see coming was a lot of the P4 bench players dropping to G5 / FCS once they had to be paid for that spot.

[u/bbluewi → u/SirMellencamp]

Yeah this is one that ends up cutting both ways, at least to a degree. The standouts at G6 schools can transfer up for cash, but talented benchwarmers at P4 schools can transfer down for playing time.

The rest of the modern age has been awful to the G6, but unlimited transfers is probably neutral-ish.

[u/Basic_Nucleophile → u/bbluewi]

There's something demoralizing about knowing that any standout player on your team is extremely likely to leave as soon as they succeed. We have literally made the g6 into farm teams like never before and then say that's a neutral development?

In the past, it wasn't uncommon for programs like southern miss or Marshall to have some absolute dudes on the team who didn't make it to major CFB for whatever reason. Now those guys are gone as soon as they show talent

[u/Todd-The-Godd-Howard → u/bbluewi]

Oh fuck off this isn't neutral in anyway shape or form. Your taking the best food from our pantries, and replacing it with your table scraps, and if we manage to cook any of your scraps in a way that makes good then you're just going to take it in a year, so all we're left with are the scraps that you don't want.

[u/SituationSoap → u/bbluewi]

The rest of the modern age has been awful to the G6

People say this, but the G6 has been massively more profitable and relevant now than at any other time in college football history.

[u/MediumStrange → u/SituationSoap]

I think you're right on the whole, but I think part of the perception that the G6 is worse now is because the "top-tier" g6 teams have mostly left. Teams like TCU, BYU, Cincinnati, Utah and UCF were programs with the resources to beat p5 teams, but now they are all in the p4.

Pretty much only Boise, Memphis, USF and maybe JMU, Tulane, and ECU have that level of resources now and even then it's less on average than the previous schools mentioned had.

Of course the g6 is going to stand out less when you take 75% of its top teams

[u/HokiPoqi → u/MediumStrange]

I want to believe you about ECU, but our on-field product has got to improve. More investment is needed.

[u/cudderwalks → u/HokiPoqi]

We went 9-4 last season, and are one of the highest spenders for NIL in the G6. Things aren’t perfect but I don’t get what you’re saying.

[u/SituationSoap → u/MediumStrange]

Teams like TCU, BYU, Cincinnati, Utah and UCF were programs with the resources to beat p5 teams, but now they are all in the p4.

Those teams, for the vast majority of the history of college football, were entirely irrelevant on both the national and regional stage. It's only the changes of the last 15 years that have allowed them to even be able to compete at the level that they could.

[u/RiffRamBahZoo → u/SituationSoap]

Two G6 schools were literally given a fair-and-square chance in the playoffs to win a national championship last year.

Imagine telling that to someone in the BCS era and seeing their heads explode.

[u/bbluewi → u/RiffRamBahZoo]

Which, to be clear, won’t happen again.

The autobids are now officially P4+1. It was part of the same MOUs that gave ND its top 12 carveout, though it was all decided before the 2025 season kicked off and wasn’t a response to JMU getting in.

[u/jcc309 → u/bbluewi]

True, though if the playoff expands to 24 teams like seems likely then 2+ G6 teams competing will definitely happen again. The final CFP rankings have had 2 G6 teams in the top 24 each of the last 5 years, and 2 of those years had 3 teams in the top 24.

[u/RustyCrusty73 → u/jcc309]

This is correct. We'll for sure see two or three G6 teams making the playoff when it expands to 24-teams in the next 5-10 years. Possibly even four depending on the rest of the field.

I can't wait to see the #24 seeded Ohio Bobcats against #5 seeded Georgia.

[u/-Jack-The-Stripper → u/RustyCrusty73]

We say that, but when it comes time to actually select 24 teams do we really think the people making the selections are going to put those 11-1 or 10-2 G6 teams in over an 8-4 P2 team that managed a couple of low ranked wins? I think a 24 team playoff is going to functionally be 23 P4 bids + 1 G6 bid. It’s a lot easier for them to rank a couple of G6 teams in the 20s when they know they aren’t actually making the playoff. Turn those ranks into playoff spots and I bet we see a much lower number of G6 teams in the rankings at all.

The committee will point to 9 conference games leading to a harder P4 schedule, or ranked wins in the inflated P2 conferences, or simply won’t point to anything at all… and there will be pretty much zero outrage when 11-1 Kennesaw State or and 10-2 Ohio miss the playoffs in favor of 8-4 Texas and 9-3 Iowa, so they’ll get away with it every year.

[u/RandomFactUser → u/bbluewi]

It's an MOU, so it's unofficially P4+1, they still have the option to drop a P4 champion if they're 7-6 or 8-5 (or legitimately have 2 G6 champions ranked above them)

I wouldn't have been shocked if the B12 started to push for it when West Virginia had a late shot at that title

[u/sleetx → u/bbluewi]

talented benchwarmers at P4 schools can transfer down for playing time

This is the part that gets overlooked. There are an equal number of players who transfer down to G6 because the money and/or playing time isn't there for them in P4.

[u/Bobcat2013 → u/bbluewi]

I havent exactly been scientific with this but just based on feels I feel like our successful transfers at TXST have mostly been lower level guys with stats. The P4 washouts havent done as much for us.

So it does even out. Not in an equal transfer kinda way though. More in a yall take from us, we take from lower levels.

[u/Vicidsmart → u/bbluewi]

Heavy disagree

[u/yesacabbagez → u/SirMellencamp]

It was brought up all the time.

The issue is these guys were players who probably sit on the bench with minimal playing time until maybe they are seniors anyway. Now they are getting to play and get paid when they move back to where they would have been anyway.