Kansas State football coach Bill Snyder's opinion probably has never carried more weight. Last season, he took Kansas State to the brink of the national championship game, the second time in his career he has gotten what was once considered the worst program in all of college football to that position.
Snyder also has never been much for saying interesting things to the media, so when he offers a broad, vaguely ambiguous opinion about the state of College Football, people notice.
The long and short of it is, Snyder is concerned. The game, he told the Kansas City Star, is in a "bad place."
"We've allowed it to be TV-driven, and allowed it to become more important to a university than it should be," Snyder said. "We're educational institutions, and what's really important is trying to enhance the lives of young people and give them guidance and direction to help themselves."
When asked if the sad state of affairs could drive him from the game, he suggested it could.
"You're not too far away," he said. "You're absolutely right."
This is where it's helpful to know Snyder is 73 years old, and has already retired once (in 2005). When he took over the program again in 2009 after the calamitous Ron Prince era, Snyder said he was back only to "calm the waters" at Kansas State. So Snyder may be hinting at retirement, and he may be suggesting the capitalism and unfairness are driving him out, and that may be true. But it isn't the only thing.
Snyder signed a five-year, $14.75 million extension with Kansas State in January.
