Some problems in college football have no straightforward solutions. Take, for instance, the transfer portal windows that have been causing quite a stir among coaches and players. The sport's winter transfer period, which opened on Dec. 9 and closes on Dec. 28 (with an additional five days for playoff teams), disrupts the postseason and has coaches like Steve Sarkisian of Texas and Lane Kiffin of Mississippi voicing their concerns.

Impact on Playoff Teams and Beyond

For playoff teams, the timing of this transfer period means some players leave before the season ends. Take Duke, the Gator Bowl opponent of Ole Miss. Their starting quarterback Maalik Murphy entered the portal last week and won't play in the bowl game as he searches for a new team. This leaves Duke with a backup quarterback and the goal of achieving a 10th victory to tie a program record.In Texas, multiple Longhorns entered the portal before their first-round playoff game against Clemson. Some even remained with the team for CFP preparation while in the portal. As Sarkisian pointed out, it's similar to NFL players becoming free agents on the day the playoffs are announced.

The NFL vs. College Football Dilemma

The NFL offers a different context as players sign employment contracts. In college football, the NCAA insists on not making athletes employees. The academic calendar also affects the transfer windows. For example, the spring semester at Texas begins on Jan. 13, one week before the national championship game, while at Ole Miss, it begins on Jan. 21, one day after.Some suggest eliminating the winter transfer window entirely and reducing to a single window in April. This would suit the playoff and academic calendars but coaches worry about not having transfers in place for spring practice. Consider Auburn, which needed to replace its starting quarterback and added Oklahoma transfer Jackson Arnold during the December transfer period.

A Bold Idea for a Solution

Here's a potential solution: Eliminate the December transfer window and spring practice. Have a single transfer portal period following the season and start preseason workouts in the summer. This would be more like the NFL, where teams don't play a spring game. The NFL's organized team activities begin in May, while some college teams start spring practice as early as February, making the December transfer period crucial.Dumping the December transfer period merits consideration, but it must be combined with the elimination of spring practice. In the current setup, entering the portal allows other programs to contact players, but it doesn't prevent them from playing in postseason games. This can be a dilemma for transferring players.For example, Preston Stone, the backup quarterback for playoff qualifier SMU, entered the portal but remained with the team. Penn State backup quarterback Beau Pribula also entered the portal but won't stay with the Nittany Lions. SMU coach Rhett Lashlee expressed his concern about the situation.

Coaches Leaving Before the Season Ends

It's not just players who exit before the season ends. Marshall won the Sun Belt championship but opted out of its bowl game due to a mass transfer exodus after their coach, Charles Huff, left for the Southern Mississippi coaching job one day after the championship game.Most college football hires occur in November and December, weeks before the postseason begins. It's not surprising if a coach of a playoff team changes jobs before the postseason concludes.In conclusion, while there is no simple fix to this transfer dilemma, eliminating the December transfer window combined with dumping spring practice would be a step toward stability in college football.