Duke-Notre Dame an instant classic, but how many people watched?

Now that was college football at its best Saturday night in Durham: two high-level teams, competing at maximum levels of effort; the outcome undecided until the final seconds; a memorable, frenzied atmosphere and a capacity crowd bearing witness at Duke’s Wallace Wade Stadium, to say nothing of the stakes and the story lines.

Indeed, Notre Dame’s dramatic 21-14 victory against Duke will be remembered for a while, and for a few key reasons. For its perseverance and ability to overcome in the most unnerving of circumstances (converting a 4th-and-16 on a scramble, Sam Hartman?) for Notre Dame. For the what-ifs and if-onlys and “we only needed just one more stop!” for Duke, which was oh-so-close to a victory that would’ve solidified its national arrival.

And here’s the question that nobody asked, and one that for the record nobody should have asked:

How many people watched? What were the ratings?

But then again, isn’t that the game within the game in college football nowadays? Isn’t that the factor or factors — television ratings, and mass-market brand appeal — that has the entire sport headed in a direction nobody seems to want, with the exception of TV executives and conference commissioners too greedy or weak or both to stand up for what’s good for the sport?

And it’s a shame, too, because this season has come to represent a lot of what has allowed college football to become the nation’s second-most popular spectator sport. For one thing, a lot of schools — more than in most years — enter October with hope of achieving national relevance. The Pac-12 is in the midst of its best season in years, just in time for the conference to disband. The same could be said of the ACC, which continues to fight the perception that it’s also a dying league.

And maybe it is. A desperate decision to add Cal, Stanford and SMU certainly isn’t a sign of health.

Yet again and again, this particular college football season continues to beg a couple questions: Why mess with a good thing? And, also, do the powers that be (those TV execs and commissioners, to be clear) realize they’re on the verge of ruining what has made them so rich in the first place?

The Duke-Notre Dame game certainly isn’t the only example, but the latest. For in this world of Brand Ball and ratings-above-all that the television industry and conference commissioners have conspired to create, it’s the sort of game that’s in jeopardy, and one that wouldn’t have existed to begin with in a world that’s all about the metrics and brands. Duke, after all, isn’t known for its football following. The Blue Devils are hardly a national brand in the one sport driving the steady destruction of college athletics.

Despite those facts, though, Duke has proven its worth on the field in coach Mike Elko’s second season. Heck, Duke has proven that just about any school, with the right head coach and the right culture, is capable of an ascent that might capture national attention and a broad audience, the kind of which watched the Blue Devils give Notre Dame all it could handle and more Saturday.

In the college football landscape of the near future, though, it’s going to be more and more difficult for non-traditional football powers (or “brands”) to break through the way Duke has this season. The direction everything is headed is obvious enough. The Big Ten and SEC are in a race to consume every brand they can, and those brands (er, schools) are in turn in a race to join one of the two wealthiest leagues in the country, all in pursuit of maximizing television revenue.

But here’s the thing: as the highest level of the sport becomes more and more consolidated, it’s going to become even more difficult for schools to stand out in the two super leagues that are coming (North Carolina, for instance, hasn’t won the ACC in 43 years — yet a segment of its fans think they’re going to magically become a contender in the Big Ten or SEC?).

And, for those on the outside of the club looking in, apathy will grow. The popularity of the sport will erode.

The golden goose will be cooked. Nights like Saturday in Durham will grow far more rare, if not extinct.

And what a night it was, with a school that’s rarely on the national stage in football delivering everything but the final stop that would’ve resulted in a Blue Devils victory. And when it ended, chances are you didn’t hear anyone ask, “What about the ratings? How many people watched?”

Would the game have been more memorable if 6 million people watched, as opposed to 5 million? Is Duke more or less worthy of a seat at the college football table of the future if an extra half million people tuned into the final minutes? No? Then why are we basing the future of the sport on such absurdity?

ONE BIG THING

Duke-Notre Dame was clearly the college football story of the week in North Carolina. The second biggest: It’s getting late early for N.C. State. October has only just begun and yet it already feels like the Wolfpack has endured a long, grueling trek — the kind that ages and hardens men into grizzled, hallowed-out husks, the joy and hope of their youth replaced by despair and unfulfilled longing. Well, that’s one way to describe the Wolfpack’s often fruitless journeys in pursuit of a first down. State has the defense to compete in this wide open of ACC seasons. But there are no words for the offense, and apparently even less potential at the skill positions.

REALIGNMENT RUMBLINGS

OK, hear me out. Watching some of ECU’s 24-17 defeat at Rice, a couple things stood out. For one, only in the nonsensical world of college athletics conference make-up does it make sense for a school from eastern North Carolina to share a league with a school from Houston (let alone considering the larger contrasts between ECU and Rice).

And, two, this was played before a crowd of a few thousand at a historic (and large) stadium, one that hosted Super Bowl VIII and an iconic JFK speech about going to the moon. Rice, you may remember, was once a longtime member of the defunct Southwest Conference, which included basically every big school in Texas and Oklahoma. And what a glorious conference it was.

Is there any doubt we’d be better off heading back toward that kind of local- and geographic-first model, as opposed to one that’s all about the Brands(!) and TV? Too late, yes, but still.

THREE TO LIKE

1. Sam Hartman’s North Carolina farewell. Hartman left us with many a memory during his years at Wake Forest, and then created a couple more during Notre Dame’s victory at N.C. State a few weeks ago. Saturday was his final collegiate appearance in his home state, and all he did was lead the Fighting Irish on a 98-yard, game-winning touchdown drive in the final moments at Wallace Wade. The signature moment: his sprinting scramble on 4th-and-16 to keep that final drive alive.

2. N.C. State’s fans showed up, at least, along with its defense. The Wolfpack hasn’t won the ACC in football since 1979. It has won more than nine games once, ever, since then (or in school history, overall). And yet State fans continue to fill Carter-Finley Stadium, waiting, hoping, longing for their support to be rewarded. It rarely has been. State’s defense will continue to give the Pack a chance, as it did Friday during a 13-10 loss against Louisville. Its fans will continue to show up. And, barring an unlikely turnaround on offense, a lot of the misery will continue.

3. Appalachian State, once again carrying the banner for the state. This wasn’t the best of weekends for North Carolina schools. State lost ugly Friday night. Duke lost a chance to start 5-0, with what would’ve been two of the best wins in the country. ECU lost at Rice; Charlotte lost at SMU. The state’s only FBS team to win? App State, which rebuked Louisiana-Monroe’s attempt to seal victory with a touchdown in the final minutes and then won on a 54-yard field goal as time expired.

THREE TO ... NOT LIKE AS MUCH

1. Friday night lights at Carter-Finley. It’s an old-fashioned and cliche complaint, admittedly, but it’s that way because it’s true: Friday nights are for high school football, not college. ACC teams used to accept the rare Friday night game from ESPN. Now, though, they’re becoming more and more of the norm. N.C. State played on Friday night for the second consecutive week. Schools and conferences simply refuse to say no to TV, so nothing will change here. Like a lot of television influences, though, Friday night games just aren’t good for the sport.

2. College GameDay served what? So ESPN brought its signature college football show to Durham and, as part of the trip elected an Alabama-based BBQ chain to supply “the show’s official tailgate spread?” No, GameDay. No, no, no, no. Someone please tell the folks at ESPN that North Carolina is home to a great abundance of its very own BBQ — all of it better than whatever they’re serving at an Alabama-based chain (which offers up something called Alabama white sauce?). The owner of said establishment isn’t even a Duke (or UNC or N.C. State) fan, but is loyal to Ole Miss and the SEC, according to reporting from The N&O’s Drew Jackson. Would GameDay go to Tuscaloosa and serve Smithfield’s? Maybe so, if it’s this out of touch.

3. Everything else about N.C. State’s showing Friday night. The offense. The black uniforms. OK, recruits and players love them. Fine enough. Who are we to judge the tastes of the youth? But can there be a rule about not wearing black uniforms against teams whose official colors include black?

THIS WEEK’S BEST PROGRAM IN THE STATE

Throughout the state of North Carolina’s cursed college football history, not losing has at times proven to be as satisfying as winning. Which is to say, don’t underestimate the value of the bye week. It was a dreadful weekend for most teams in the state, and now there’s but one FBS unbeaten among state schools. And so welcome, to the Tar Heels of North Carolina: You’re this week’s best program in the state, by virtue of not playing a game and remaining undefeated.

CAROLINAS RANKING

1. North Carolina (a new No. 1 this week!); 2. Duke; 3. Clemson; 4. N.C. State’s defense (pair it with a competent offense and the Wolfpack could be going places); 5. South Carolina (sort of by default; the rankings get dicey from this point on); 6. Appalachian State; 7. Wake Forest (Wake also didn’t play, but suffered a bad transitive property loss with Georgia Tech’s defeat against Bowling Green); 8. ECU (Mike Houston’s namesake city: unkind to him); 9. Coastal Carolina; 10. Charlotte; 11. N.C. State’s offense; 12. GameDay’s choice of BBQ upon visiting our fine state.

FINAL THOUGHTS, IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER

-I think Durham is suddenly the epicenter of college football in North Carolina. You had not only the national audience and fantastic finish at Wallace Wade on Saturday. But also, a little ways across town, N.C. Central’s 49-48 overtime victory against Campbell. NCCU quarterback Davius Richard ran for four touchdowns — most among any Eagles player since 1999.

-I think the situation on offense for N.C. State is somehow worse than it was a season ago — and it was not good then, either. M.J. Morris deserves a chance to try and provide a spark, but the Wolfpack is so thin at receiver and running back it’s fair to wonder how much of a difference a quarterback change would really make. And looking at State’s schedule, things could go sideways in a hurry. There’s time for an offensive turnaround, but is there the talent?

-I think the long term question for Duke and Elko is this: Does he like the university, and Durham, enough to stay for a while? Wake Forest has been fortunate that Dave Clawson wants to be there. Is Elko wired the same kind of way? He’s going to be atop the wish list of every SEC and Big Ten school with an opening. Money shouldn’t be an issue. But does he want to be at Duke?

-I think Elko’s quick success at Duke, too, makes it a lot easier for fans to expect immediate turnarounds, and results. Even around the Triangle the chorus has grown louder this week: Duke looks like that, in Elko’s second season, and N.C. State looks like this, in Dave Doeren’s 11th? Those folks aren’t necessarily wrong.