Kirk Ferentz believes college football is in ‘worse shape’ than 2 years ago

ORLANDO — Kirk Ferentz believes college football is “in worse shape than we were two years ago,” the 25th-year Iowa coach said Sunday in a pre-bowl news conference.

“We, the adults, have done a lot to really screw this thing up,” Ferentz said. “We have a great game, so I do — old guy in the room — I have some concerns about what the future is going to look like.”

The confluence of the transfer portal and the ability for athletes to profit off name, image and likeness has dramatically changed the dynamics of college football in recent years, with more power going to athletes.

Ferentz believes the current rule environment makes it “real easy for people to make bad decisions.”

Ferentz also expressed disappointment in how college football has “really drifted away” from valuing bowl games outside of the College Football Playoff.

“I have been just concerned about how our thirst for the national championship race — two teams, four teams, with all the focus going there with the public and the media — really diminishes some of the other bowls,” Ferentz said.

Iowa has been an exception to the national trend of top players opting out of bowl games. No Hawkeyes have opted out of this year’s Citrus Bowl, and only one Hawkeye opted out of each of Iowa’s previous two bowls.

“Despite all the changes right now, I think there are still players out there that want to do it for the right reasons and really enjoy the competition of the game,” Ferentz said.

The deprioritization of non-CFP bowls was not Ferentz’s only postseason concern. An expanded College Football Playoff will add another game to the schedule for some teams in the upper echelon of the FBS.

“I have always marveled — North Dakota State is a great example, because they go every year and play 18 games,” Ferentz said. “Like, how do you guys do that, take finals and all the things that they have to work through? It is really a heck of a challenge and puts a lot of pressure on the players, too.”

Ferentz also noted the “wear and tear of a season” that could be worse with some FBS teams — between the regular season, conference championship game and potentially three CFP games — playing 16 games in a season.

“We always lead with what is best for the student-athletes, but we do not always practice that with some of the decisions we make,” Ferentz said.

While Ferentz is quick to identify the problems college football is facing, he is not sure “what the remedies are.”

“I’m not going to pretend I have all the answers,” Ferentz said.

Asked what he would change about college football, Ferentz pointed to the need for a “commissioner” for college football. The current structure essentially gives some power to the NCAA, some power to the conference commissioners and some power to the College Football Playoff selection committee.

“It is a lot of independent contracting right now, and it is really hard to get people to visit,” Ferentz said.

This has long been an issue for Ferentz, who voiced his concerns with former Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany “13, 15 years ago.”

“The five Power Five commissioners need to get in a room and visit,” Ferentz said. “Maybe throw a couple athletic directors and coaches in there as well just to get some specific feedback, that type of deal. Just have a summit and really basically blow everything up and try to start over again and maybe come up with a little better model.”

Tennessee’s Josh Heupel, standing to Ferentz’s left in the pre-Citrus Bowl news conference, views change as a “positive thing.” At the same time, he also sees the need for someone to “grab a hold of the reins and take it in the right direction.”

“Somebody has to take a hard look at how we put all these pieces together and continue to have the greatest game that there is,” Heupel said.

As much as college football has changed — to Ferentz’s chagrin, in some cases — the longtime Iowa head coach has an appreciation for something that “has not changed” in his several decades involved in the sport.

“The single best part about what we do is we get to work with really high-quality young players,” Ferentz said.

Comments: john.steppe@thegazette.com