At UAB, college football is history. The school cancelled its own program after this season, becoming the first Division-I school to bow out of football since 1995.
But the school is embracing its transition to has-been with open arms: its course catalog will now feature a class titled, "History of College Football."
Few schools are better-equipped to handle such curriculum, as most others are busy worrying about football of the present and future. But UAB Blazers students can now replace their Saturday tailgating and football parties with delving into the written history of the game.
Actually, that's not quite right. The course will be offered in the summer, so the fall will remain football-free.
Nevertheless, students have an opportunity for rich engagement with the subject of football.
According to AL.com, the class will "explore the fascinating world of college football: the great teams, dynasties, coaches, players, pageantry and the game's great and enduring rivalries."
That includes some of the more unseemly aspects of the sport, such as its evolution into a major business and the scandals that have plagued it over the years.
But will UAB be used as a case study of its high costs and money-minded shift? Let's hope the local perspective is on the syllabus.
For those who aren't aware, UAB decided to drop its football program last year after the school concluded that football was not a commercially viable sport. The school was facing a shortfall of millions of dollars to keep the school up-and-running, and even efforts to raise funds in support of the program couldn't come close to rescuing the program.
Before UAB, the last school to close its football program was Pacific almost 20 years ago.
