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In this day and age, there is such a gulf between the big four - Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool - and everybody else that it looks as though the FA Cup will be staying with those clubs.
The scoreline at Ewood Park made embarrassing viewing for Rovers
Nobody outside of those four clubs have won the competition since Everton in 1995, so it would be fantastic for the competition if we had an outsider winning it.
But you'd have to say at this stage, even though the FA Cup will always be behind the Premier League and the Champions League in the list of priorities for the big teams, that the status quo doesn't look like changing this season.
The weekend saw a string of Premier League sides knocked out of the FA Cup at the first hurdle, and that seems to be the way the game is going at the moment.
It used to be the case that just the big four would field weakened sides, but that's all changed.
Now mid-table clubs chasing the European places are also fielding second-string sides, and the teams that are in danger of going down are doing the same thing.
So you have a situation where virtually every Premier League team is sending out a second-string side - and that cannot be good for the tournament.
You cannot deny that the performances of teams like Blackburn, who lost 4-1 at home to Coventry, and Everton, who lost 1-0 to Oldham at Goodison Park, were massively disappointing for the competition.
But I can understand why they did it.
If you are a manager of a top football club, you will do what you think is in the best interest of your club. You've got no choice but to, because it's your neck on the line.
Blackburn boss Mark Hughes, for instance, has got an unbelievable pedigree as a player in the FA Cup, so it's not that he doesn't want to do well in it.
But he thinks his players are tired and he wants to keep them fresh for the Premier League as they push for a European place.
There is such a gulf between the big four and everybody else
We've all seen a lot of tired legs as we come out of the busy Christmas period.
For instance Aston Villa v Manchester United on Saturday just lacked any spark at all, and tiredness is obviously a massive factor.
The pace and intensity of the game now means you cannot get by with the same players week-in, week-out any more, and I cannot see that changing.
Looking at the draw for the fourth round of the FA Cup, it's all a case of ifs, buts and maybes at the minute.
One potential tie that stands out is that Havant & Waterlooville, who play in the Blue Square South League, could go to Anfield to play Liverpool, who have won the trophy seven times.
It would be a dream come true for Havant, and the fact that you can have a tie like that - even if it still is a maybe - shows the lasting beauty of the FA Cup.
You can fulfil the dreams and aspirations of the individuals involved, but there's also a vitally important practical side: clubs can make a lot of money and it's part of what makes the football world go round in this country.
Man Utd's trip to Villa Park was a low-key affair
The fact there will be at least seven non-Premier League teams in the last 16 is encouraging.
It doesn't matter whether you're a player or a supporter, anybody who has been there will tell you that if your team gets through to the later rounds of the FA Cup there's a real buzz about the club, and it helps your league form.
The further you get in this competition, the more you can start to dream about winning it and about playing at Wembley which is the ultimate for any player.
That said, it looks ominous that the big four have been kept apart.
The scoreline at Ewood Park made embarrassing viewing for Rovers
Nobody outside of those four clubs have won the competition since Everton in 1995, so it would be fantastic for the competition if we had an outsider winning it.
But you'd have to say at this stage, even though the FA Cup will always be behind the Premier League and the Champions League in the list of priorities for the big teams, that the status quo doesn't look like changing this season.
The weekend saw a string of Premier League sides knocked out of the FA Cup at the first hurdle, and that seems to be the way the game is going at the moment.
It used to be the case that just the big four would field weakened sides, but that's all changed.
Now mid-table clubs chasing the European places are also fielding second-string sides, and the teams that are in danger of going down are doing the same thing.
So you have a situation where virtually every Premier League team is sending out a second-string side - and that cannot be good for the tournament.
You cannot deny that the performances of teams like Blackburn, who lost 4-1 at home to Coventry, and Everton, who lost 1-0 to Oldham at Goodison Park, were massively disappointing for the competition.
But I can understand why they did it.
If you are a manager of a top football club, you will do what you think is in the best interest of your club. You've got no choice but to, because it's your neck on the line.
Blackburn boss Mark Hughes, for instance, has got an unbelievable pedigree as a player in the FA Cup, so it's not that he doesn't want to do well in it.
But he thinks his players are tired and he wants to keep them fresh for the Premier League as they push for a European place.
There is such a gulf between the big four and everybody else
We've all seen a lot of tired legs as we come out of the busy Christmas period.
For instance Aston Villa v Manchester United on Saturday just lacked any spark at all, and tiredness is obviously a massive factor.
The pace and intensity of the game now means you cannot get by with the same players week-in, week-out any more, and I cannot see that changing.
Looking at the draw for the fourth round of the FA Cup, it's all a case of ifs, buts and maybes at the minute.
One potential tie that stands out is that Havant & Waterlooville, who play in the Blue Square South League, could go to Anfield to play Liverpool, who have won the trophy seven times.
It would be a dream come true for Havant, and the fact that you can have a tie like that - even if it still is a maybe - shows the lasting beauty of the FA Cup.
You can fulfil the dreams and aspirations of the individuals involved, but there's also a vitally important practical side: clubs can make a lot of money and it's part of what makes the football world go round in this country.
Man Utd's trip to Villa Park was a low-key affair
The fact there will be at least seven non-Premier League teams in the last 16 is encouraging.
It doesn't matter whether you're a player or a supporter, anybody who has been there will tell you that if your team gets through to the later rounds of the FA Cup there's a real buzz about the club, and it helps your league form.
The further you get in this competition, the more you can start to dream about winning it and about playing at Wembley which is the ultimate for any player.
That said, it looks ominous that the big four have been kept apart.
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