College Football
Week 21 – 2022 kicks off in Dublin
For the Good Times
Time flies when
you are having fun. Five months ago this week, we were nearing the start of the
2021 college football season. It seems like it was only yesterday. Now, 21
weeks later, we’re closing the curtains on the season.
“Don’t look so sad
The season was full of expectations for many players and teams. Some met their expectations, others exceeded their expectations. But for some, the season ended in disappointment.
Alabama quarterback Bryce Young had an outstanding season. It was so outstanding that Young won the Heisman Trophy. Young exceeded his expectations. But we’ll always remember the 2021 season for the rags-to-riches story of Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett. Bennett, a walk-on player, didn’t become Georgia’s full-time starting quarterback until the fifth game of the season. He led the Dawgs to a storybook ending in the national championship game against Alabama. Bennett exceeded his expectations.
At the beginning of the season, three quarterbacks were touted as the Heisman favorites – Oklahoma’s Spencer Rattler, North Carolina’s Sam Howell and Clemson’s D.J Uiagalelei. Six games into the season, Rattler lost his starting position and never regained it. North Carolina, a Top 10 team at preseason season, finished with a losing record – 6-7 – nowhere near the Top 25. Clemson never got its offense unleashed all season as the Tigers were 103rd in passing yards per game and Uiagalelei was 77th in passing yards. For Rattler, Howell and Uiagalelei, the season ended in disappointment.
As a team, Georgia exceeded its expectations. At preseason, The Dawgs were ranked 5th. In the final AP Poll of the season that was released last week, Georgia was No. 1. At preseason, Cincinnati was ranked 9th. During the season, the Bearcats became the first Group of Five team to make the College Football Playoff. They finished the season at No. 4. Cincinnati exceeded its expectations.
Here are teams who finished the season in the Top 25, but, except for five of them, were nowhere near the Top 25 at preseason. Their preseason ranking is in parenthesis, followed by their ranking at the end of the season. Michigan (33) 3; Baylor (62) 5; Oklahoma State (24) 7; Michigan State (75) 9; Ole Miss (26) 11; Pitt (36) 13; Wake Forest (45) 15; Louisiana (30) 16; Houston (69) 17; Kentucky (39) 18; BYU (47) 19: NC State (31) 20; Arkansas (50) 21; Utah State (115) 24, and San Diego State (71) 25. Those 15 teams exceeded their expectations. Other teams who exceeded their expectations were Oklahoma State and Utah. Both finished higher than their preseason ranking.
Then there are the teams who were ranked in the Top 25 at preseason, but finished the season nowhere near the Top 25. Their preseason ranking is listed first, followed by their season record in parenthesis. Iowa State 7 (7-6); North Carolina 10 (6-7); Florida 12 (6-7); LSU 15 (6-7); USC 15 (4-8); Penn State 17 (7-6); Texas 18 (5-7); Washington 19 (4-8); Indiana 21 (2-10), and Auburn 25 (6-7). Those 10 teams were a disappointment in 2021. Other disappointing teams were Oklahoma, Clemson, Texas A&M, Oregon, Wisconsin, Miami (Florida) and Arizona State. All fell from their lofty preseason ranking.
Four teams – Alabama (1) 2, Ohio State (4) 6, Notre Dame (8) 8 and Iowa (20) 23 – finished the season ranked at about the exact same spot where they were ranked at preseason. I guess you could say they basically met their expectations but didn’t exceed them.
“But life goes on
Yes, five months ago this week, the season was about to begin. NIL was taking off and the transfer portal was busier than ever. There was no uniform law or rules covering NIL and there still isn’t. The restrictions, limitations and lack thereof vary from state to state. No one is quite sure what the difference is between endorsements and recruiting inducements.
Just as NIL can be a recruiting inducement, so can the transfer portal. Bigger, wealthier schools can induce a player to transfer, promising bigger NIL deals, play for a higher profile school and a better chance of being drafted by the NFL.
“The transfer portal, it bothers me,” so said ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit back in August.
As the season was about to begin, CFP expansion was a hot topic too. The various CFP committees were meeting and talking about how to expand. Some committee members wanted an eight-team playoff, while others wanted a 12-team playoff. The 12-team playoff appeared to be the favorite of most. But the committee members were far from a common agreement.
On ESPN’s “Pardon the Interruption,” co-host Tony Kornheiser said,” College football is a goldmine. The 12-team expansion is a goldmine and they’re going to do it. Let me tell you who won’t stop them: this network. ESPN will line up to hand people money.”
And in August, people were still talking about Oklahoma and Texas leaving the Big 12 for the SEC. The announcement by Oklahoma and Texas was prompting some to say this was going to be the beginning of a super conference in college football. Some suggested a 32-team super league.
Others suggested that the combination of NIL, transfer portal, 12-team playoff, super conference and super league could be the start of the demise of college football.
The ACC, Big Ten and Pac-12 announced they were forming an alliance. No one was quite sure what it meant other than a knee-jerk reaction to the SEC adding Oklahoma and Texas.
In Week Zero, which is what the weekend before Labor Day Weekend is now called, we learned that Scott Frost may be facing a long, tough season. Illinois upset Nebraska, 30-22.
The following week, the season officially got started – a delayed start for some. UCF, under first-year, and former Auburn, coach Gus Malzahn, had a two-hour rain delay before the Knights could get started. But once they did get started, UCF beat Boise State, 36-31.
In his debut as a starter, Alabama quarterback Bryce Young passed for 344 yards and four touchdowns, as the Tide dismantled Miami (Florida), 41-3. The two biggest surprises on opening weekend occurred on the west coast – unranked UCLA beat 16th-ranked LSU, 38-27, and bigger yet, Montana upset 20th-ramnked Washington, 13-7.
Mississippi State trailed Louisiana Tech, 34-14, with 13 minutes to go in the game. Mississippi State beat Louisiana Tech, 35-34. Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin, diagnosed with COVID, missed his team’s opener. Without Kiffin on the sideline, Ole Miss beat Louisville, 43-24.
The Big 12 announced it was adding BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF to the conference, replacing Oklahoma and Texas. After just two games, Connecticut announced the firing of Randy Edsall.
“Let’s just be glad
Ohio State fans got a shock in Week Two. Oregon upset the 3rd-ranked Buckeyes, 35-28. Meanwhile, Steve Sarkisian and Mike Norvell had a miserable day. Unranked Arkansas beat 15th-ranked Texas, 40-21, while Jacksonville State surprised Florida State, 20-17. Toledo led Notre Dame, 29-24, with 1:09 to go in the game. But the Irish rallied to beat the Rockets, 32-29.
The season continued to go south for Mike Norvell and Manny Diaz in Week Three. Florida State was blasted by Wake Forest, 35-14. Miami (Florida) lost at home to Michigan State, 38-17. Norvell’s record at FSU fell to 3-9.
Three big teams unexpectedly had extremely close games. Oklahoma edged Nebraska, 23-16. Clemson slept past Georgia Tech, 14-8. The third team, Alabama, had a scare in The Swamp. The Tide escaped Gainesville with a 31-29 victory over Florida. The Gators failed on a two-point conversion attempt near the end of the game.
The Mississippi State-Memphis and Auburn-Penn State games were plagued with bad officiating. Notre Dame wouldn’t let Purdue’s band bring its “Big Bass Drum” – the world’s largest – into Notre Dame Stadium. Western Michigan shocked Pitt, 44-41.
North Carolina and Virginia combined for 1,273 total yards. The Tar Heels beat the Cavaliers, 59-39. Utah State outlasted Air Force, 49-45.
Two games into the season and USC coach Clay Helton was fired. At a press conference in Orlando, UCF coach Gus Malzahn, without being asked, said, “I’m not interested in the USC job.”
In Week Four, six ranked teams lost, two for the first time. Among them – Texas A&M and Clemson. Arkansas knocked off 7th-ranked Texas A&M, 20-10, and NC State got by 9th-ranked Clemson, 27-21 (2OT).
Two ranked teams almost lost. Fourth-ranked Oklahoma had to kick a field goal as time expired to beat West Virginia, 16-13. Nebraska took 20th-ranked Michigan State to overtime before the Huskers lost to the Spartans, 23-20 (OT).
Bowling Green shocked Minnesota, 14-10.
College Football Playoff expansion talks broke down again as the parties failed to come to agreement. Tennessee was trashed on social media after the Vols announced they had dropped Army from a future schedule. With Notre Dame’s win over Wisconsin, Brian Kelly became the winningest coach in Notre Dame history, surpassing Knute Rockne. Georgia Southern fired head coach Chad Lunsford.
“Don’t say a word
Cincinnati kept its undefeated record intact, this time over a big name team. The Bearcats proved to the nation they were for real. In Week Five, Cincinnati knocked off previously undefeated Notre Dame, 24-13. And if that wasn’t enough for one week, Mississippi State upset Texas A&M, 26-22.
Leading up to the Ole Miss-Alabama game, Michael Wilbon of ESPN’s “Pardon the Interruption” called Lane Kiffin a clown. Wilbon said Kiffin has been an embarrassment at several stops. Alabama beat Ole Miss, 42-21. Thanks to outstanding play by quarterback Bo Nix, Auburn rallied in the fourth quarter to beat LSU, 24-19. Florida lost to Kentucky, 201-3.
Stanford handed Oregon its first loss. The Trees upset the Ducks, 31-24 (OT).
After the weekend, the Big Ten had the most undefeated teams at four – Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State and Penn State.
Air Force, Boise State, Colorado State and San Diego State all rejected offers to join the AAC.
Week Six had its share of donnybrooks, barnburners and heart stoppers. For starters, Arkansas scored on the final play of the game and trailed Ole Miss by one point. All the Hogs had to do was kick the extra point to extend the game into overtime. But Arkansas chose instead to go for two and win the game. They failed. Ole Miss beat Arkansas, 52-51.
In the Red River Showdown in Dallas, the Longhorns led Oklahoma by scores of 28-7, 38-20 and 41-23. OU coach Lincoln Riley benched quarterback Spencer Rattler for Caleb Williams. Williams spearheaded a Sooner rally. Oklahoma beat Texas 55-48.
In the Big Ten, Iowa beat Penn State, 23-20. In the SEC, Alabama led Texas A&M, 38-31, with five minutes to go in the game. With three minutes to go in the game, A&M tied the score – 38-38. As the clock expired at the end of the game, the Aggies kicked a field goal and beat Alabama, 41-38.
Michigan edged Nebraska, 32-29. In the Carrier Dome, Wake Forest got by Syracuse, 40-37 (OT). Boise State handed BYU its first loss. The Broncos beat the Cougars, 26-17. Florida State knocked off North Carolina, 35-25.
Week Seven wasn’t a week of big and monumental games. The games were low key. But we learned a lot after Week Seven. Georgia not only had the best defense in the country but the Dawgs were the best team in the country. Georgia beat Kentucky, 30-13.
We learned that Florida needed to part ways with Dan Mullen. The Gators lost to LSU, 49-42. Indeed, before the season was over, Florida fired Dan Mullen. Cincinnati really is a legitimate team. The undefeated Bearcats beat UCF, 56-21. I said, “Manny Diaz will be fired by Miami.” The Canes lost to North Carolina, 45-42. Indeed, by the end of the season, Diaz was fired.
And we learned if Tennessee fans don’t agree with an official’s call, they throw objects, mostly water bottles, onto the field. Not only onto the field, but they throw the objects at their own cheerleaders, dance team and band members. It was a wild, crazy and strange night in Neyland Stadium. Ole Miss beat Tennessee, 31-26.
First-year South Carolina coach Shane Beamer got his first SEC win. The Gamecocks beat Vanderbilt, 21-20. On the “blue turf” in Idaho, Air Force beat Boise State, 24-17.
“There’ll be enough time for sadness
Perhaps the craziest game of the season occurred in Week Eight in State College, Pennsylvania. After 10 consecutive failed two-point conversion attempts and 11 failed attempts all totaled, Illinois beat Penn State in nine, yes nine, overtimes, 20-18. The game lasted four hours and 11 minutes. And to think the two-point conversion shootout was introduced in 2019 and tweaked in 2021 to reduce the number of overtimes.
In a game almost as crazy as Illinois-Penn State, Wake Forest beat Army, 70-56. What a shootout! Eighteen touchdowns were scored. Syracuse rallied to beat Virginia Tech, 41-36. Miami (Florida) held on to edge NC State, 31-30. Kansas gave Oklahoma a big scare, but the Sooners rallied late to beat the Jayhawks, 38-23. Iowa State beat Oklahoma State, 24-21.
And speaking of overtimes and failed two-point conversion attempts, how about Harvard and Princeton? In Princeton, New Jersey, the two schools experienced their own two-point conversion shootout. The Harvard-Princeton game went to five overtimes. Ultimately, Princeton beat Harvard, 18-16 (5OT).
After losing four teams to the Big 12, the AAC raided C-USA announcing it would be adding six schools – Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, North Texas, Rice, UAB and UTSA – to its conference. The Sun Belt, in turn, announced it was going after C-USA members Marshall, Old Dominion and Southern Miss.
Washington State fired head coach Nick Rolovich for refusing to get vaccinated, while LSU announced that Ed Orgeron was fired, effective at the end of the season.
In Week Nine, as the Florida-Georgia crowd exited St. Augustine, Touchdown Tom and his Navy buddies entered for their annual four-day reunion. Georgia beat Florida, by the way, 34-7. Next year our reunion is scheduled for Des Moines, Iowa, during the Iowa State Fair.
There was some other football played in Week Nine. And speaking of Iowa State, West Virginia knocked off the Cyclones, 38-31. It was a bad day for the state of Iowa. In addition to the Cyclones falling, Wisconsin beat Iowa, 27-7.
Michigan State rallied to beat Michigan, 37-33, and Ohio State downed Penn State, 33-24. Miami (Florida) surprised Pitt, 38-34. BYU outlasted Virginia in a shootout, 66-49. Out west, Utah trounced UCLA, 44-24.
There were two firings in the Big 12. Texas Tech fired Matt Wells, and after 21+ years, TCU fired Gary Patterson. Marshall, Old Dominion and Southern Miss all made it official. The three schools are joining the Sun Belt Conference. James Madison will transition from FCS to FBS and join the Sun Belt, as well.
Week 10 saw two undefeated teams lose for the first time. Michigan State was stunned by Purdue, 40-29, and Wake Forest fell to North Carolina, 58-55.
There were upsets in Week 10, including TCU over Baylor, 30-28. There were barnburners, including Miami (Florida) 33, Georgia Tech 30, Arkansas 31, Mississippi State 28 and Tennessee 45, Kentucky 42. There were the closer than expected, including Ohio State 26, Nebraska 17 and Alabama 20, LSU 14. There was an overtime – Army 21, Air Force 14 (OT).
Hugh Freeze returned to Oxford, Mississippi, this time coaching Liberty. Liberty lost to Ole Miss, 27-14. Florida continued to be a disaster. The Gators lost to South Carolina, 40-17.
After Week 10, only four teams remained undefeated – Cincinnati, Georgia, Oklahoma and UTSA. All four were 9-0. Akron fired Tom Arth.
“Hear the whisper of the raindrops
How about these crazy scores in Week 11 – Kansas 57, Texas 56….Mississippi State 43, Auburn 34….Baylor 27, Oklahoma 14….Florida 70, Samford 52….Texas Tech 41, Iowa State 38….and Florida State 31, Miami (Florida) 28.
Even crazier when you realize that coming into the game against Texas, Kansas was 1-8. Mississippi State trailed Auburn 28-3 late in the second quarter. OU lost for the first time. Late in the second quarter Florida trailed Samford 42-28. Texas Tech led Iowa State 31-14 at halftime and then held on to win. Trailing Miami 28-23, Florida State scored with 0:26 left in the game to pull out the victory.
Add to the above, Ole Miss beat Texas A&M, 29-19. And Jimbo is making how much?
In what would be the season’s only game postponed due top COVID, the USC-California game was postponed to December 4. Baylor hired Joey McGuire and Connecticut hired Jim Mora. Washington fired Jimmy Lake, while Nebraska announced it was retaining Scott Frost for another season under a restructured contract. Auburn lost Bo Nix for the rest of the season due to an ankle injury.
After Week 12, Georgia was the only given to make the College Football Playoff. The other possibilities were Cincinnati, Alabama, Ohio State, Michigan, Oklahoma State, Notre Dame and Oklahoma State.
Michigan State had been a possibility, coming into Week 12, but Ohio State crushed the Spartans, 56-7. Clemson dumped on Wake Forest, 48-27. Pitt punched its ticket to the ACC title game. The Panthers beat Virginia, 48-38. Oregon’s playoff chances were wiped out. Utah slammed the Ducks, 38-7. Alabama got by Arkansas, 42-35. Louisiana clobbered Liberty, 42-14. Oregon State stunned Arizona State, 24-10.
In the “Big Game,” California beat Stanford, 41-11. In “The Game,” before 49,500 fans, Harvard scored with 0:22 left in the game to beat Yale, 34-31.
Florida fired Dan Mullen, Troy fired Chip Lindsey, FIU fired Butch Davis and Virginia Tech fired Justin Fuente. Miami (Florida) fired its athletic director, Blake James. Meanwhile, LSU was hot after Jimbo Fisher. But Fisher said he would be the dumbest human being on God’s earth if he left Texas A&M for LSU.
Week 13 was Thanksgiving Week. Or as I call it – the week of family, friends, food and football.
Thanksgiving night, in the Egg Bowl, Ole Miss scrambled Mississippi State, 31-21. On the Friday after Thanksgiving, Iowa beat Nebraska, 28-21. But the most exciting game on Friday took place in Raleigh, North Carolina. With less than two minutes to go in the game, North Carolina led NC State 30-21. But NC State scored two touchdowns in 26 seconds to rally from a nine-point deficit and beat North Carolina 34-30.
Before 20,000 in Las Vegas, Duke beat Gonzaga in basketball, 84-81.
Saturday, after Thanksgiving, in a nasty game – I mean nasty – Florida beat Florida State 24-21. Jim Harbaugh and Michigan ended their frustration. Michigan downed Ohio State, 42-27. Wake Forest punched its ticket to the ACC title game. The Demon Deacons beat Boston College, 41-10. Baylor edged Texas Tech, 27-24, to secure its spot in the Big 12 title game. In a wild one in Stillwater, Oklahoma State got by Oklahoma 37-33. Oklahoma led 33-24 at the start of the fourth quarter.
In the MAC, Kent State beat Miami (Ohio) in a thriller, 48-47 (OT). Then in the “Iron Bowl,” Alabama and Auburn were 10-10 at the end of regulation. Trailing Auburn 10-0 at the end of three, Alabama scored 10 points in the fourth quarter to tie Auburn. The went to four overtimes before Alabama pulled it out, 24-22 (4OT).
In the Big Ten, Minnesota shocked Wisconsin, 23-13, while Michigan State got by Penn State, 30-27.
The Sunday after Thanksgiving we learned that Florida hired Billy Napier and that Lincoln Riley was leaving Oklahoma for USC. OU quickly announced that former coach Bob Stoops would coach the Sooners in their bowl game. Louisiana Tech fired Skip Holtz, while TCU hired Sonny Dykes and SMU hired Brett Lashlee.
Massachusetts hired Don Brown and Washington State made Jack Dickert its head coach. In one move New Mexico State fired Doug Martin and hired Jerry Kill.
And last but not least, Duke fired David Cutcliffe. I got my share of Bagels and lox, cold pizza and pecan pie with whipped cream over the past four days. Oh yeah, and some turkey too.
“For the good times
The conference title games dominated Week 14. That and the announcement of the four playoff teams.
In the SEC title game, Georgia had no pass defense. The Dawgs couldn’t cover the Alabama receivers and they couldn’t put any pressure on Bryce Young. Alabama beat Georgia, 41-24. The other conference title games went pretty much as expected. The exception, Baylor upset Oklahoma State 21-16 in the Big 12 title game.
The Top Four teams picked for the College Football Playoff were 1. Alabama, 2. Michigan, 3. Georgia and 4. Cincinnati.
Brian Kelly announced he was leaving Notre Dame to take the LSU job. Temple fired Rod Carey. Washington hired Kalen DeBoer, Virginia Tech hired Brent Pry, Louisiana Tech hired Sonny Cumbie and Troy hired Jon Sumrall.
To replace Brian Kelly, Notre Dame elevated defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman to head coach. Jacksonville State, a team transitioning from FCS to FBS, hired former West Virginia, Michigan and Arizona coach Rich Rodriguez.
Colorado State fired Steve Addazio and Virginia coach Bronco Mendenhall announced he was stepping down. Akron hired Joe Moorhead.
While not firing Manny Diaz, Miami was actively pursuing Oregon coach Mario Cristobal. The school said if it couldn’t get Cristobal, it would keep Diaz for another season. How crazy is that.
And finally, Oklahoma hired Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables. Meanwhile, Maryland fired basketball coach Mark Turgeon.
Week 15 saw Navy upset Army and Bryce Young win the Heisman Trophy.
Coming into the game, Navy was 3-8 and Army was 8-3. But the Middies beat the Cadets, 17-13. It was a good game.
In winning the Heisman Trophy, Young easily outdistanced Aidan Hutchinson, Kenny Pickett and C.J. Stroud in the voting. Alabama became the first school to win back-to-back Heismans since Oklahoma did it in 2017-2018. Yale, Army and USC are the only other schools to produce back-to-back Heisman Trophy winners.
Miami lured Mario Cristobal away from Oregon and in turn fired Manny Diaz. Some say Cristobal is a great recruiter, but a bad coach. Miami also hired Dan Radakovich as its new athletic director. Radakovich had been the Clemson AD. Meanwhile, Diaz got hired by James Franklin to be Penn State’s new defensive coordinator.
Duke pulled a surprise. The Blue Devils hired Texas A&M defensive coordinator Mike Elko to be their new coach.
Nevada coach Jay Norvell left his job in Reno to become Colorado State’s new coach. Louisiana elevated its offensive coordinator Michael Desormeaux to replace Billy Napier. Virginia hired Clemson offensive coordinator Tony Elliott to be the Cavaliers new coach. Dabo Swinney is now looking for two new coordinators. Oregon linebackers coach Ken Wilson is the new coach at Nevada.
In another surprise, Georgia defensive coordinator Dan Lanning announced he is leaving Athens to take the head coach job at Oregon.
We learned that when LSU was trying to lure Jimbo Fisher away from Texas A&M, the Tigers were offering Jimbo $15.6 million a year for eight years.
The coaching carousel came to an end in Week 16 when Fresno State hired Jeff Tedford and Temple hired Texas running back coach Stan Drayton to become the Owls new coach. Tedford is a former head coach at Fresno State. In all, 20 coaches were fired this season, seven left their position to take the same job at another school and one coach stepped down. Twenty-eight teams will have a new head coach in 2022.
As the coaching carousel came to an end, the bowl games began. Eight bowl games were played in Week 16. In the only real stunner, UAB stunned BYU, 31-28, in the Independence Bowl.
Three quarterbacks announced their transfer decisions. Nebraska quarterback Adrian Martinez to Kansas State, LSU quarterback Max Johnson to Texas A&M and Auburn quarterback Bo Nix to Oregon.
“Don’t look so sad
Seven more bowl games were played during Week 17. One bowl – the Hawaii Bowl – was canceled due to COVID. Memphis was scheduled to play Hawaii in the game. Hawaii was the guilty party, causing the cancelation.
Wyoming coach Craig Bohl got a bucket full of French fries dumped on him after his Cowboys beat Kent State in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. With the temperature at 39°, I’m sure Bohl was glad it was French fries and not Gatorade.
After the game, more quarterback transfer news was reported. USC quarterback Kedon Slovis announced he was transferring to Pitt. Ohio State backup quarterback Jack Miller is transferring to Florida, Oklahoma quarterback Spencer Rattler is transferring to South Carolina.
Texas A&M announced it was dropping out of the Gator Bowl because of COVID problems on the team. That leaves Wake Forest without an opponent.
Missouri and Army put on quite a show in the Armed Forces Bowl. Missouri scored with 1:11 to go in the game and went up 22-21. The Tigers went for two and failed. The Mizzou quarterback overthrew an open receiver in the endzone. So Army takes over and moves the ball down the field. As time expired, the Cadets kicked a 41-yard field goal to beat Missouri, 24-22.
Rutgers was chosen to replace Texas A&M in the Gator Bowl. Wake Forest has an opponent after all, and an easier one at that. Florida ended its season on a low for the second-straight year. The Gators lost to UCF in the Gasparilla Bowl, 29-17.
The Fenway Bowl between SMU and Virginia was canceled due to COVID, as was the Military Bowl between East Carolina and Boston College. Virginia and Boston College were responsible for the cancellations. Miami (Florida) announced it couldn’t compete in the Sun Bowl die to COVID. What’s with these germy ACC teams.
Week 18 began with the Arizona Bowl being canceled. Boise State dropped out due to COVID. The quick-thinking Sun Bowl grabbed Central Michigan, who was Boise State’s opponent, and slotted CMU against Washington State, with CMU replacing Miami (Florida). Now, why weren’t the Fenway Bowl people quick thinking. They should have shifted East Carolina to meet SMU.
Ohio State receivers Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson opted out of the Rose Bowl.
The Holiday Bowl in San Diego was canceled due to COVID issues at UCLA. That left NC State without an opponent. Why didn’t the Holiday Bowl grab Memphis, who had the Hawaii Bowl canceled on them?
Two SEC teams took a hit from two Texas teams. Houston beat Auburn in the Birmingham Bowl and Texas Tech downed Mississippi State in the Liberty Bowl. ESPN’s Greg McElroy said Mississippi State played harder after the whistle than they did before the whistle.
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney had a bucket full of Cheez-Its poured over him following the Cheez-It Bowl. Without his offensive and defensive coordinator, the Tigers beat Iowa State. Bob Stoops had a pleasant return to college football in the Alamo Bowl. Stoops coached Oklahoma to a win over Oregon.
South Carolina coach Shane Beamer was the biggest and most videoed hero of all. After beating North Carolina in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl, Beamer had a bucket full of mayonnaise dumped over his head. The Purdue-Tennessee game in the Music City Bowl was a thrill a minute. The Boilers beat the Vols, 48-45 (OT).
As expected, Alabama and Georgia won the two CFP semifinals games. Alabama took care of Cincinnati, 27-6, and Georgia roughed up Michigan, 34-11.
On New Year’s Day, the SEC went 2-1. Arkansas beat Penn State and Kentucky beat Iowa. But Ole Miss lost to Baylor. The best game on January 1 was the Rose Bowl. It was reminiscent of the Music City Bowl. And it ended with the same score. Ohio State rallied to beat Utah, 48-45.
The last bowl of the season was played during Week 19. The Big 12 got the last hurrah. Kansas State beat LSU in the Texas Bowl.
In the end, 37 of 42 bowl games were played. Five were canceled due to COVID.
“But life goes on
After Oklahoma quarterback Caleb Williams announced he was entering the transfer portal, Dillon Gabriel had a sudden change of heart. The UCF quarterback who earlier said he was transferring to UCLA now says he is transferring to Oklahoma. Ole Miss wide receiver and former quarterback John Rhys Plumlee said he is transferring to UCF where he will play quarterback for Gus Malzahn. Plumlee also plans to play baseball for the Knights.
The CFP management committee met again and still couldn’t come to agreement on an expanded playoff.
And finally, Week 19 and the college football season came to an end following the national championship game in Indianapolis. Georgia won its first national championship since 1980 and its second national title overall.
Georgia became the ninth team from the southeast to win the national title in what I call the BSC/CFP championship era. The BSC/CFP era is the 16 years of the BSC championship (1988-2013) and the eight years of the CFP championship (2014-2021) – the past 24 seasons.
During those 24 years, Alabama has won six championships, all in the last 13 years – three in the BCS period and three in the CFP period. LSU has won three titles – two of those three in the BCS chapter. Clemson, Florida State and Florida have won two championships. Clemson’s two titles are both in the CFP period. Florida State and Florida won both of their two tiles under the BSC banner. The other four teams from the southeast who have won a championship in the last 24 years are Tennessee, Miami (Florida), Auburn and of course Georgia.
Only four teams outside of the southeast have won a title in the past 24 years. Oklahoma, Ohio State, USC and Texas. Ohio State has won two titles – one BCS and one CFP. Oklahoma’s one title was back in 2000. USC won in 2004 and Texas in 2005. Aside from Ohio State’s title in 2014, a team from outside the southeast has not won a national championship since 2005. Nebraska, who was frequently a championship contender in the 1970s and 1980s, has not won a national championship in the last 24 years. Neither has Notre Dame.
Next season’s CFP national championship game will be played on Monday night, January 9, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
In Week 20, Hawaii coach Todd Graham resigned. In two seasons with the Rainbow Warriors, Graham was 11-11. He was facing mounting allegations of mistreating players. Graham, 57, has previously been a head coach at Arizona State, Pitt, Tulsa and Rice. His career record is 106-72.
“Let’s just be glad
Who knows what the 2022 season will bring. Alabama and Georgia, of course, will be strong again. Lord knows Jimbo Fisher is building a powerhouse at Texas A&M. There’s probably some hyperbole, but reports claim that the Aggies spent $30 million securing their 2022 recruiting class.
First-year coaches Shane Beamer and Josh Heupel had rough starts in 2021, but South Carolina and Tennessee finished strong. I was impressed with what those two coaches did. I’m not sure about first-year Auburn coach Bryan Harsin. The jury is still out. But I think second-year Arkansas coach Sam Pittman is amazing. Pittman has performed wonders at Arkansas. And Mark Stoops is doing good things at Kentucky.
Lane Kiffin and Mike Leach? Well, they are Lane Kiffin and Mike Leach. Kiffin now has three members of his family on his coaching staff. Talk about nepotism. Vanderbilt actually had a decent recruiting class. LSU, Florida and Missouri are all mysteries at this stage. But we know Brian Kelly can coach. Billy Napier appears to be a mastermind. And they all can pull in a slew of players from the portal.
That’s the advantage of the portal – a team’s roster can look entirely different from one season to the next. It sure helped Michigan State’s Mel Tucker and Tennessee’s Josh Heupel this season. Michigan State was predicted at preseason to finish 4-8. The Spartans finished 11-2. Tucker brought in about 40 players from the portal during the offseason.
And speaking of the Big Ten, Ohio State will be loaded again. I’m sure Michigan and Penn State will be challengers. And maybe Michigan State if Mel Tucker can keep it going. Mike Locksley appears to be doing good things at Maryland. It could be a Terp year. Not sure Rutgers and Indiana are going anywhere. Not soon, at least.
Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota and Nebraska will be the usual toss up in the Big Ten West. It is going to be a make-or-break season for Scott Frost at Nebraska. And look what Bret Bielema did this season at Illinois. Who would have thought the Banned Indians would win as many as five games. And then there’s Purdue. Don’t count out the Boilers. But you can probably count out Northwestern.
At preseason, Oklahoma has to be the kingpin in the Big 12. But the Sooners have a new coach. I’m impressed with what Dave Aranda is doing at Baylor. Steve Sarkisian needs to have a better second year in 2022 than he did in his first year in 2021. Otherwise, Sark may not be around Austin beyond 2022.
Mike Gundy always has Oklahoma State playing good, but he never seems to be able to put it all together. With new coaches, TCU and Texas Tech are mysteries. Lance Leipold actually showed some progress at Kansas in 2021. Iowa State and Kansas State are always menaces. Meanwhile, will this be the year we can “trust the climb” at West Virginia?
“Don’t say a word
Will Clemson find its offense in 2022? It sure was lost in 2021. And with Brent Venables gone, will Clemson maintain its defense? Like Steve Sarkisian at Texas, Mike Norvell better come through in 2022. Otherwise, those tomahawk chops will be cutting him out of the picture in Tallahassee. Watch out for NC State in 2022. There is real opportunity in Raleigh. Mack Brown continues to recruit well at North Carolina. Louisville has just about everybody back. Miami, Duke, Virginia and Virginia Tech all have new coaches. Dave Clawson and the Demon Deacons should continue their good run. Don’t know what’s going on at Georgia Tech, Boston College or Syracuse, but Georgia Tech should be ready to pop out.
You just know that Utah’s Kyle Whittingham will have another powerhouse in Salt Lake City. Oregon and USC have new coaches. So do Washington and Washington State. The heat is being turned up on David Shaw at Stanford. If the Trees aren’t better, this could be Shaw’s last year in Palo Alto. Oregon State was a pleasant surprise in 2021. But can the Beavers keep it up? Chip Kelly got a four-year extension to his contract at UCLA. Arizona State is always a threat, but Arizona continues to be lost in the desert. Colorado appears to have become an Ivy League school. The Buffaloes play football for fun. You never know what to expect from California. The Bears are an Ivy League school too.
Who will be the darling of the Group of Five in 2022? As long as Luke Fickell is coaching Cincinnati, you know the Bearcats will be good. Dana Holgerson seems to have his act together at Houston. The Gus Bus had a few breakdowns in 2021. But a good overhaul should get UCF going.
Coastal Carolina and Appalachian State are always threats. But will Louisiana deteriorate with the departure of Billy Napier?
It used to be Boise State was always a threat. But the Broncos have been slipping in recent seasons. UTSA was a hit in 2021. The Roadrunners finished at 12-2. Can they keep it up?
Notre Dame and BYU should be good.
We’ve got seven months before it all begins again.
There’ll be enough time for sadness
As usual, the official opening weekend will be the five days of Labor Day Weekend – Thursday night through Monday night, September 1-5, 2022. And as usual, a handful of teams will open on Saturday, August 27in what has become Week Zero.
Nebraska vs. Northwestern from Dublin, Ireland, on August 27, will be the first game of the season.
Then on Labor Day Weekend (Week One), we have these choice encounters to look forward to: LSU vs. Florida State (New Orleans); Georgia vs. Oregon (Atlanta); North Carolina at Appalachian State; Cincinnati at Arkansas; Utah at Florida; Notre Dame at Ohio State; Houston at UTSA; Louisville at UCF; Clemson at Georgia Tech; Penn State at Purdue and West Virginia at Pitt.
The choice games fall off in Week Two, but there are a few interesting encounters: Appalachian State at Texas A&M; Alabama at Texas; Arizona State at Oklahoma State, and BYU at Baylor.
Legendary Kentucky basketball coach Joe B. Hall died Saturday. Hall was the head coach of the Wildcats from 1972 to 1985. He coached Kentucky to three appearances in the Final Four (1975, 1978, 1984), winning the national championship in 1978. Joe B. Hall was 93.
“For every kiss you give me, I’ll give you three. So won’t you be my….” Ronnie Spector, the lead singer of the Ronettes died last week. The Ronettes had several chart hits in 1963 and 1964. The group’s first release, “Be My Baby” was their biggest hit, rising to N. 2 on Billboard’s Hot 100 in the fall of 1963. Other Top 40 hits included “Baby I Love You,” “Do I Love You” and “Walking in the Rain.” Spector reprised some of the lyrics of “Be My Baby” singing with Eddie Money on his big hit “Take Me Home Tonight,” which reached No. 4 on the charts in fall of 1986. The Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson said the first time he heard “Be My Baby” was on the radio in his car. He was so taken by the song, he had to pull over to the side of the road until it finished. Ronnie Spector was 78.
“For the good times!”
Touchdown Tom
Quotes of the Week
“You kicked our ass in the fourth quarter,” Alabama coach Nick Saban to Georgia coach Kirby Smart.
“We’re burning the boats, baby, and we’re coming back,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart, at the celebration ceremony for the Georgia Bulldogs.
“As the commissioner of the Southeastern Conference, I think the four-team playoff worked pretty well this year, didn’t it,?” SEC commissioner Greg Sankey.
Touchdown Tom
P.S.
Not exactly college football related, but in mid-January, as college football fans were putting the lid on another great season and shifting their attention to college basketball, the number one song in the country…
…80 years ago this week in 1942 was “A String Of Pearls” by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra
…75 years ago this week in 1947 was “The Old Lamplighter” by Swing and Sway with Sammy Kaye, and “(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons” by The King Cole Trio
…70 years ago this week in 1952 was “Cry” by Johnny Ray
…65 years ago this week in 1957 was “Singing The Blues” by Guy Mitchell
…60 years ago this week in 1962 was “The Twist” by Chubby Checker
…55 years ago this week in 1967 was “I’m A Believer” by The Monkees
…50 years ago this week in 1972 was “American Pie” by Don McLean
…45 years ago this week in 1977 was “You Make Me Feel Like Dancing” by Leo Sayer
…40 years ago this week in 1982 was “Physical” by Olivia Newton-John
…35 years ago this week in 1987 was “Shake You Down” by Gregory Abbott
…30 years ago this week in 1992 was “All 4 Love” by Color Me Badd
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