College Football is Broken

College football is one of the best sports in America and has a rich history. Every Saturday in the fall is filled with pageantry, rivalries, packed stadiums, marching bands, passionate fans, tailgating, and, of course, tremendous games and performances on the field. 

This season has been terrific in so many ways, and we still have conference championship weekend, bowl games, and the College Football Playoff ahead of us.

We’ve had some different programs in the mix this season, previously unknown players emerging as stars, and up-and-coming coaches shining. There are a handful of teams with a chance to win the National Championship, and a few others are preparing for upsets.

With all the wonderful aspects of college football still intact and plenty of intriguing storylines surrounding the sport, there is a sense that the college football system is broken. It’s had its issues for many years, but with the significant changes in recent years involving the transfer portal and NIL, there are heightened concerns.

Add in what's happening with college football coaches, and the outcry to fix the sport's brokenness is getting louder as I write. The latest situation surrounding Lane Kiffin's decision to leave Ole Miss for LSU as head coach is causing outrage and serving as a vivid reminder of the problems in college football. 

Lane Kiffin just led Ole Miss to an 11-1 record in the regular season and is currently ranked 6th in the country, heading to the College Football Playoff. Instead of finishing what he started, he’s leaving his team right before their playoff run. He will also be bringing assistant coaches from the Ole Miss staff with him. That means Ole Miss will have a depleted staff as it competes in the CFP following Kiffin's chaotic, messy departure. 

The fact that other schools approach coaches under contract, leading to coaches leaving at this time of the season, contributes to the broken system. There have to be adjustments to the calendar and schedule for both coaching changes and the transfer portal. Not to mention how buyouts work, how much universities are spending on former coaches, and the problem of regulating NIL budgets. 

The layers of the broken system in college football go beyond the coaching carousel and transfers, and include issues with conference realignment, scheduling inconsistencies, competitive balance, and the CFP's selection process.

Again, we love college football and have hope for its future, but we acknowledge that things can’t keep going the way they are, and many aspects need to be changed and fixed.

Plenty of people have their suggestions for what actually needs to happen, but it doesn’t appear that a clear savior is coming to college football. But it needs saving, and if the key leaders are willing to humbly admit the mistakes they’ve made and the prevalent brokenness, and to be open to doing what’s necessary, then change and healing are possible. 

As we contemplate and readily point to the brokenness of college football, we realize that things are broken all around us. We live in a fallen world as a result of sin, and so we’re surrounded by disease, injustice, evil, greed, selfishness, and the list goes on. It’s hard to grapple with, as we desire for things to change and be fixed.

Are we honest enough with ourselves to also recognize the brokenness in our own lives, the sin, and the layers of issues we have personally? Deep down, we know things need to be different, and when we humbly admit we are a mess and broken, healing and change are possible. 

We have to acknowledge that we can’t save ourselves or fix our sin problem on our own. Yet, salvation is possible because, unlike college football, we have a clear Savior in Jesus who saves, redeems, rescues, restores, and heals. We need Him desperately, and He willingly gives us His grace! He laid down His life for us and meets us in our sinfulness and brokenness and doesn’t leave us there.

1 Peter 2:24 (AMP) says, “He personally carried our sins in His body on the cross [willingly offering Himself on it, as on an altar of sacrifice], so that we might die to sin [becoming immune from the penalty and power of sin] and live for righteousness; for by His wounds you [who believe] have been healed.”

Isaiah 53:5 (AMP) explains, “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was crushed for our wickedness [our sin, our injustice, our wrongdoing]; the punishment [required] for our well-being fell on Him, and by His stripes (wounds) we are healed.”

We receive salvation and spiritual healing in our souls when we place our faith and hope in the death and resurrection of Jesus and surrender our lives to Him. We are made complete in Christ because of what He did on the cross, and then, as followers of Jesus living in a broken world, we continue to trust Him and invite Him to change us from the inside out.

It requires a continued humility, an acknowledgement of our sins and brokenness, repentance, and a dependence on His transforming power in all aspects of our lives (personally, relationally, circumstantially) as He helps us become more and more like Him and rebuilds our lives on Him. 

We have great hope for change and healing, both now and in the future. Ultimately, this process will be complete when we are fully restored in eternity with Christ, and everything is renewed. 

Until then, let’s not be defeated by our brokenness or give up when we mess up, but rather confess it and allow God and His grace to work in us and through us.

James 5:16 (AMP) tells us, “Therefore, confess your sins to one another [your false steps, your offenses], and pray for one another, that you may be healed and restored. The heartfelt and persistent prayer of a righteous man (believer) can accomplish much [when put into action and made effective by God—it is dynamic and can have tremendous power].”

Today, we know college football is a mess and needs help, and we won’t give up on it. We also know we are a mess, and so much in life is broken, but thankfully, there is a God who loves us, saves us, and is with us to help change us and heal us.

Psalm 34:18 (AMP) states, “The Lord is near to the heartbroken, and He saves those who are crushed in spirit (contrite in heart, truly sorry for their sin).”

Psalm 51:17 (AMP) says, “My [only] sacrifice [acceptable] to God is a broken spirit; A broken and contrite heart [broken with sorrow for sin, thoroughly penitent], such, O God, You will not despise.”

Psalm 147:3 (ESV) offers us hope: “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”

I’m Bryce Johnson, and you can UNPACK that!

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I’m weak, broken, and flawed. I’m so grateful that You love me anyway, and You are my healer and my redeemer. My hope is in Christ, who is transforming me. Please continue to restore me, as I need Your grace and Your power in all aspects of my life. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.