Monday, December 5, 2022

College Football Week 15 - 12-Team Playoff Begins in Two Years

 

College Football Week 15 – 12-team playoff begins in two years

Cheering in Columbus,
Crying in Los Angeles

Breathing a sigh of relief in Fort Worth and grumbling in Tuscaloosa.

The conference championship games are over, and the CFP results are in. They are crying in Los Angeles and cheering in Columbus. And yes, grumbling in Tuscaloosa. Utah’s 47-24 win over USC, kept the Trojans out of the CFP and vaulted Ohio State into the playoff. But TCU’s 31-28 (OT) loss to Kansas State didn’t vault Alabama into the CFP. TCU is in the playoff. They are going, “Phew” in Fort Worth. Alabama didn’t make it. They are saying, “What?” in Tuscaloosa.

In the final CFP rankings released yesterday, Georgia is 1, Michigan is 2, TCU is 3 and Ohio State is 4. Alabama finished 5th. Yes, the selection committee got it right. Make no mistake about that.

Don’t cry over spilt milk Alabama fans. In two years, 12 teams will get in. We won’t have this problem, except for the teams that finish 13th and 14th in the rankings. They’ll be complaining. I guess it’s never ending. We could always turn the CFP into March Madness and invite 64 teams. No, just kidding. Twelve is enough.

The conference championship games were interesting, if not chaotic and somewhat boring. Only one was close – the Big 12 title game. And for TCU fans, it demonstrated the stupid play calling of Sonny Dykes and Garrett Riley – not once but twice. More on that later.

Utah was out to prove that its last minute, one-point win over USC during the season was no fluke. The Utes went out and stomped the Trojans, 47-24, in the Pac-12 championship game in Las Vegas. It took Utah one half to get its act together. The score was 17-17 at the break. But in the second half, it was all Utes. Utah outscored USC, 30-7 in the final two quarters.  

In the Conference USA title game, UTSA passed and ran all over North Texas. Roadrunners quarterback Frank Harris was 32-37-0, passing for 341 yards and four touchdowns. Harris also rushed for 49 yards and another touchdown. UTSA running back Kevorian Barnes rushed for 175 yards and one touchdown. UTSA celebrated its second consecutive C-USA title. Next year, the Roadrunners will be competing in the AAC.

Not only did Utah upset USC, but in the best game of the weekend, Kansas State upset TCU, 31-28 (OT), in the Big 12 championship game. The loss was the first for TCU this season. As was typical for the Frogs, they had to rally at the end to keep their hopes alive. Halfway through the 4th quarter, TCU trailed Kansas State, 28-17. That’s when the Frogs went into their rally mode, kicking a field goal, scoring a touchdown and converting a two-point conversion – all within 6 minutes of the final 7:34 of the game. Overtime!

But in overtime, the stupidity of head coach Sonny Dykes and offensive coordinator Garrett Riley kicked in. TCU had first possession in the OT. It looked good for the Frogs. They moved from the 25 to the goal line. TCU had a 3rd-and-goal, with the ball no more than 8-to-9 inches from paydirt.

Instead of a quarterback sneak, with two running backs helping to push the quarterback into the end zone, TCU quarterback Max Duggan took the snap, backed up about 5 yards to hand the ball off to a running back for an off-tackle run. The running back failed to advance the ball. Now it was 4th-and-goal with the football no more than 8-to-9 inches from the goal line. Again, instead of a quarterback sneak, TCU ran the same play as before. And again, the running back was stopped short of the goal line. Hello! What were Dykes and Riley thinking?

Kansas State took possession, ran a few plays and kicked a field goal. Game over – Kansas State 31, TCU 28 (OT). I’m convinced that surrounded by all the brilliance in the brains of college football coaches is an isolated dumb spot. That dumb spot in the brains of Dykes and Riley surfaced during the overtime on Saturday. The TCU players didn’t lose the game. The TCU coaches did. But no harm, no foul. Isn’t that right, Alabama?  

The Mid-American Conference title game was rather dull and boring at its best. That is unless you are big on defense. There was little to no offense in the game – especially for Ohio. Toledo beat Ohio, 17-7. So much for the mighty MAC.

Troy came on strong in the Sun Belt Conference championship game – especially in the first three quarters. After three, Troy led Coastal Carolina, 45-13. The Chanticleers rallied with two touchdowns in the final quarter but could come no closer than 19 points. Troy beat Coastal Carolina, 45-26.

Georgia was all business and no nonsense in the SEC title game – especially in the first half. The Dawgs jumped out to a 35-7 lead over LSU. Six of Georgia’s points came on a kick-six. The Dawgs returned a failed field goal attempt for a touchdown. LSU came to life in the second half, outscoring Georgia, 20-15. But the Dawgs won big, downing LSU, 50-30.

Next to the Big 12 title game, the American Athletic Conference championship game, between Tulane and UCF, was the best and most fun. The best: There was only a 3-point difference in the game – 31-28 – with less than 10 minutes to go in the fourth quarter. UCF had just rallied from a 31-4 deficit. But the Green Wave got tidal again, scoring 14 points to beat UCF, 45-28. The most fun: Watching the excitement, thrills and happiness of the Tulane students, fans and football players as they realized they were going to win the AAC championship. The students couldn’t wait to rush the field at the end. And they did. Championships are a rarity in Tulane football.  

Boise State rarely loses on its blue carpet. One of those rare losses occurred Saturday in the Mountain West Conference title game. Fresno State downed Boise State, 28-16. It was touch and go going into the 4th quarter. Fresno State only led by 5 points – 14-9. But the Bulldogs scored two touchdowns in 5 minutes to take a 28-9 lead. It was all over for the Broncos – even on the blue carpet.

As usual, the ACC title game was rather meaningless, dull and boring. It was the only Power Five conference title game in which the outcome meant nothing. Clemson beat North Carolina, 39-10. The most fun in the game was watching the movements and reactions of Mack “The Pillsbury Doughboy” Brown. What a clown. 

In the Big Ten title game, Michigan and Purdue gave us a good first half. At the break, the Wolverines only had a one-point lead on the Boilermakers – 14-13. Then Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy and running back Donovan Edwards took charge in the second half. The Wolverines outscored the Boilers, 29-9. Like Georgia, Michigan finished its season undefeated. The Wolverines downed Purdue, 43-22.

Those were 10 conference championship games of the 2022 season. Some good, some exciting, some bad, some boring, some meaningless. Along with the 10 title games, there were actually two other FBS games played over the weekend.

In the snowstorm-postponed game from November 19, Buffalo beat Akron, 23-22. Trailing Akron, 22-17, late in the game, Buffalo scored its winning touchdown with 1:15 on the clock. The win makes Buffalo (6-6) bowl eligible.

In a game that got scheduled late in the season, New Mexico State beat Valparaiso, 65-3. New Mexico State’s scheduled home game against San Jose State on October 22 was canceled by the Spartans when a member of the San Jose State team was killed in a traffic accident a few days prior to the game. In recent weeks, New Mexico State scheduled Valparaiso as a replacement game. New Mexico State quarterback Diego Pavia was 9-13-0, passing for 323 yards and four touchdowns. Pavia rushed for 29 yards and another touchdown. With the win, New Mexico State (6-6) becomes bowl eligible.

So, in the College Football Playoff, No. 1 Georgia vs. No. 4 Ohio State (8 pm ET, Saturday, December 31) in the Peach Bowl in Atlanta in one semifinal game. No. 2 Michigan vs. No. 3 TCU (4 pm ET, Saturday, December 31) in the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Arizona, in the other semifinal game. Both games are on ESPN. The two winners will meet on Monday, January 9 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California for the national championship.

In the other four New Year’s Six bowls, it will be: No. 6 Tennessee vs. No. 7 Clemson in the Orange Bowl (8 pm ET, December 30); No. 5 Alabama vs. No. 9 Kansas State in the Sugar Bowl (12 noon ET, December 31); No. 8 Utah vs. No. 11 Penn State in the Rose Bowl (5 pm ET, January 2), and No. 10 USC vs. No. 16 Tulane in the Cotton Bowl (1 pm ET, January 2). All four of those games are on ESPN.

With the Rose Bowl’s agreement last week to the new playoff format, we are now assured the 12-team College Football Playoff will begin with the 2024 season. Prior to last week, the other five New Year’s Six Bowls (Cotton, Fiesta, Orange, Peach and Sugar), along with the 10 FBS conferences, were all in agreement to start the 12-team playoff in the 2024 season. Only the Rose Bowl was holding out, which would have delayed the start of the 12-team playoff to the 2026 season. The 2023 season, next year, will be the last season with the 4-team playoff.   

Eight head coaches and an athletic director were hired last week, two more coaches were fired, a coach survived for another season and several coordinators were thrown under the bus.

Monday afternoon, Auburn announced that controversial Liberty coach Hugh Freeze had been hired to be the Tigers new coach. Much of Freeze’s introductory press conference at Auburn was straight out of the PTL Club. The only thing missing was Tammy Faye Baker and Paula Dean standing on either side of Freeze, crying with orange and blue mascara running down their cheeks. Joel Osteen, standing behind Freeze with his hand placed on Freeze’s head would have been an appropriate touch too. Hey, it’s Auburn.

Georgia Tech named interim coach Brent Key the fulltime head coach of the Yellow Jackets. Midway through the season, Georgia Tech fired Geoff Collins and made Key the interim coach for the remainder of the season. Under Key, the Jackets beat Pitt, Duke, Virginia and North Carolina. The Pitt, Duke and North Carolina wins were big upsets. Key, 44, is a Georgia Tech graduate. He was the offensive line coach under Collins.   

Former NFL quarterback Trent Dilfer is the new head coach at UAB. Dilfer has been a high school coach in Nashville at Lipscomb Academy. UAB operated this past season under interim coach Bryant Vincent. Dilfer played college football for Fresno State.

On Thursday, former Texas and Houston coach Tom Herman, a blast from the past, was named the new coach at Florida Atlantic. Herman replaces Willie Taggart who was fired by FAU last week. Herman most recently has been an offensive analyst for the Chicago Bears. FAU is leaving Conference USA and joining the AAC on July 1, 2023.

Tennessee offensive coordinator Alex Golesh has agreed to a deal to become the next head coach at South Florida. A graduate of Ohio State, Golesh, 38, has been a position coach at Illinois, Iowa State, UCF and Toledo. He replaces Jeff Scott who was fired by South Florida during the season.

“Rocky Mountain High.” …. It’s official. Deion Sanders has accepted the head coaching position at Colorado where it is reported he will make around $5.5 million a year. Sanders informed his players of his decision after Jackson State beat Southern, 43-24, in the SWAC championship game on Saturday. At Colorado, Sanders replaces Karl Dorrell who was fired in October.

On Sunday, we learned that Liberty is hiring Coastal Carolina coach Jamey Chadwell to replace Hugh Freeze who left for Auburn. Chadwell is agreeing to a seven-year deal that will pay him more than $4 million a year. In five years at Coastal Carolina, Chadwell was 39-22 – 31-6 the past three years. Prior to Coastal Carolina, Chadwell was a head coach at Charleston Southern, Delta State and North Greenville.  

No sooner had Liberty hired Chadwell away from Coastal Carolina when the Chanticleers announced that NC State offensive coordinator Tim Beck was their new coach at Coastal Carolina. Prior to NC State, Beck has been a position coach at Texas, Ohio State and Nebraska.

North Texas athletic director Wren Baker has been named the new AD at West Virginia. Baker has a master’s degree from Oklahoma State. He is a former graduate assistant basketball coach at Oklahoma State under Eddie Sutton. A native of Oklahoma, Baker replaces Shane Lyons who was fired in November. Shortly after Baker was hired, West Virginia announced that football coach Neal Brown would return for another year.

In the week’s first head coach firing, UNLV terminated football coach Marcus Arroyo. In three seasons at UNLV, Arroyo was 7-23 (5-7 this season). Then yesterday, Seth Littrell was fired by North Texas. Littrell had just finished his seventh season with the Mean Green, with a record of 44-44 – 7-6 this year. North Texas lost to UTSA, 48-27, in the C-USA championship game Friday night. 

It’s also that time of the year for coaches who had poor seasons to throw their coordinators under the bus. Kentucky coach Mark Stoops fired his offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello. Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald fired his defensive coordinator, Jim O’Neil. Iowa State coach Matt Campbell fired his offensive coordinator, Tom Manning. Meanwhile, new Nebraska coach Matt Rhule hired South Carolina offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield away from the Gamecocks. Satterfield will be the Huskers new OC.    

Arkansas defensive coordinator and former Missouri coach Barry Odom has interviewed for the Tulsa opening.

At the latest count, 18 schools will have new head coaches next season. Fifteen schools fired their coach, and three schools lost their coach to a bigger school. Six schools – Stanford, Texas State, Tulsa, UNLV, North Texas and Cincinnati – are still looking for a coach.

“Mr. Spitball”…. Gaylord Perry, who played major league baseball as a pitcher for eight different teams from 1962 to 1983, died last week. Perry began his MLB career with the San Francisco Giants, spending 10 of his 22 seasons with the Giants. He was the first pitcher to win the Cy Young Award in both leagues – in 1972 with the Cleveland Indians (AL) and in 1978 with the San Diego Padres (NL). Perry had a reputation for doctoring baseballs – throwing spitballs. A native of Williamston, North Carolina, Gaylord Jackson Perry was 84.

“Rock Chalk Jayhawk”…. John Hadl, a quarterback in the American Football League (AFL) and the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons, died last week. He won an AFL championship with the San Diego Chargers in 1963. In college, Hadl played halfback and quarterback for Kansas, where he was a two-time All-American. After the Chargers, he also quarterbacked for the Los Angeles Rams, Green Bay Packers and the Houston Oilers. A native of Lawrence, Kansas, John Willard Hadl was 82.

“Cause when the loving starts and the lights go down, and there’s not another living soul around…. Christine McVie, an English musician and songwriter, who was a vocalist and the keyboardist for the rock band Fleetwood Mac, died last week. She wrote many of Fleetwood Mac’s hits, including “Little Lies,” “Don’t Stop” “Over My Head,” “Say You Love Me,” “You Make Loving Fun,” “Think About Me,” “Hold Me,” “Everywhere.” “Love In Store,” “Dreams,” and “Save Me.” She had two solo hits with “Got A Hold On Me” and “Love Will Show Us How.” A native of Bouth (Lancashire), England, Christine McVie was 79. ….You woo me until the sun comes up, and you say that you love me.”

Rockledge Gator read where someone tweeted: “Auburn has gone from a Cadillac to an Escort.”

Go Navy, beat Army!

Touchdown Tom

December 5, 2022

 

Weekend Recap

GAME OF THE WEEK: A hole in the Dyke – Kansas State 31, TCU 28 (OT) (Touchdown Tom said: TCU 27, Kansas State 23). During the season, TCU often got behind early only to rally late and win. Saturday, TCU got behind and rallied. But this time the Frogs only rallied to tie the game and put it into overtime. That’s not an ending the Frogs were used to. In rallying the Frogs, TCU quarterback Max Duggan played a heck of a game. He ended up passing for 251 yards and rushing for 110 yards. Kansas State quarterback Will Howard wasn’t bad either. He was 18-32-0, passing for 199 yards and two touchdowns. Attendance in Arlington: 69,335

RUNNER-UP: Uga can bite – Georgia 50, LSU 30 (Touchdown Tom said: Georgia 34, LSU 23). Georgia stepped up, took charge and dominated the game – especially in the first half. Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett played a cool, calm and collected game – 23-29-0, passing for 274 yards and four touchdowns. LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels didn’t return to the game in the second half due to a leg injury. Garrett Nussmeier replaced Daniels and actually played a better game. Nussmeier passed for 294 yards and two touchdowns. The two teams combined for 1,082 total yards, with LSU having 549 of those yards. Georgia maintained ball possession for 35:58. Attendance in Atlanta: 74,800

REST OF THE TITLE GAMES: Troy sacked – Utah 47, USC 24 (Touchdown Tom said: USC 33, Utah 30). What a tale of two teams. USC actually jumped out to a quick 17-3 lead over Utah. And the Trojans were about to score again, until Lincoln Riley called a stupid play. In Utah territory with a 2nd and less than a yard – 8-to-9 inches (sound familiar?) – Riley called a pass play. Must have been that little dumb spot in Riley’s brain. On the play, the Utes sacked Caleb Williams for a big loss. On the next two plays, USC failed to make a first down. Utah took over and that was all she wrote for the Trojans. Trailing USC 17-3, Utah went on to outscore the Trojans, 44-3. USC had no defense and had no running game. The Utes racked up 533 total yards and held the Trojans to just 56 yards rushing. Caleb Williams passed for 363 yards and three touchdowns. But he suffered a serious hamstring injury in the game. Utah’s Cameron Rising passed for 310 yards and three touchdowns. Utah won its second-straight Pac-12 crown. Attendance in Las Vegas: 61,195

On to the CFP – Michigan 43, Purdue 22 (Touchdown Tom said: Michigan 30, Purdue 17). Purdue had more first downs, more total yards and more time of possession – 33:42. But all the Boilers could come up with were field goals – five of them. The Boilers were short on rushing yards – 90. Purdue quarterback Aidan O’Connell passed for 366 yards but threw two picks. Michigan’s Donovan Edwards rushed for 185 yards. Michigan won its second-straight Big Ten title. Now, will Jim Harbaugh take an NFL job in January? Stay tuned! Attendance in Indianapolis: 67,107

Trojans feast on fowl – Troy 45, Coastal Carolina 26 (Touchdown Tom said: Troy 33, Coastal Carolina 24). Troy was an amazing team this season. They improved with age. The Trojans got better as the season went along. However, Troy was outplayed by Coastal Carolina on Saturday. The Chanticleers had more of everything, except points. Two turnovers hurt the Chanticleers. Coastal Carolina quarterback Grayson McCall returned from injury and passed for 319 yards and three touchdowns. Troy quarterback Gunnar Watson passed for 318 yards and three touchdowns. Attendance in Troy: 21,554

Cotton pickers – Tulane 45, UCF 28 (Touchdown Tom said: Tulane 34, UCF 32). Tulane got off to a good and fast start, almost blew it, but came on strong at the end. The Teams combined for 1,058 total yards, but Tulane had 648 of those yards. Green Wave quarterback Michael Pratt was 20-33-1, passing for 394 yards and four touchdowns. Pratt also rushed for 48 yards and another touchdown. Tulane running back Tyjae Spears rushed for 199 yards. When Tulane had the ball, the Green Wave scored quickly. They only had the ball for 25:39. Tulane will be going to its first major bowl game (Cotton Bowl) since January 1, 1940. After the 1939 season, the Green Wave played in the Sugar Bowl. Attendance in New Orleans: 30,118

Flat, no Heels – Clemson 39, North Carolina 10 (Touchdown Tom said: Clemson 33, North Carolina 24). North Carolina was a no show in this game, especially in the second half when the Tar Heels were shutout. North Carolina maintained ball possession for 35:01, but the Tar Heels had three turnovers. Clemson quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei was benched early in the game. He was replaced by Cade Klubnik who came in and played the rest of the game. Klubnik was 20-24-0, passing for 279 yards and one touchdown. Attendance in Charlotte: 64,114

No bucking in these Broncos – Fresno State 28, Boise State 16 (Touchdown Tom said: Boise State 31, Fresno State 27). There was not much offense in this game. Fresno State only had 72 yards rushing. Boise State had two turnovers. Still, there is a difference when quarterback Jake Haener is playing for Fresno State. The Bulldogs would have had a better record this season if Haener had not been injured. Fresno State finished its season at 9-4. Haener was 17-27-0, passing for 184 yards and one touchdown. Attendance in Boise: 24,037

Offense, offense, offense – UTSA 48, North Texas 27 (Touchdown Tom said: UTSA 34, North Texas 25). Beep-Beep was unstoppable. He couldn’t be caught. The Roadrunners had 571 total yards – 227 yards rushing and 344 yards passing. They also had 32 first downs. UTSA did it big but did it slowly. The Roadrunners held onto the ball for 37:43. Early in the fourth quarter, UTSA only led North Texas by 7 points – 34-27. Then the Roadrunners proceeded to score two back-to-back touchdowns. UTSA won its second-straight C-USA crown. Attendance in San Antonio: 41,412.

Cat-less in Detroit – Toledo 17, Ohio 7 (Touchdown Tom said: Ohio 30, Toledo 21). In a defensive battle, Ohio couldn’t find an offense. The Bobcats only had 14 first downs. They were playing with backup quarterback C.J. Harris. There was nothing special about Toledo. The Rockets just did what they had to do to win. Attendance in Detroit: 15,550

Week 14 Results:  6 winners, 4 fumbles (60 percent)

For the Season:   132 winners, 67 fumbles (66.3 percent)

 

ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:

West Florida 45, Wingate 14 – (Division II Quarterfinal) – Attendance in Pensacola: 4,247

 

Superlatives

Impressive Passers:

Tulane’s Michael Pratt – 20-33-1 for 394 yards (4TDs); USC’s Caleb Williams – 28-41-1-363 (3TDs); UTSA’s Frank Harris – 32-37-0-341 (4TDs); New Mexico State’s Diego Pavia – 9-13-0-323 (4TDs); Coastal Carolina’s Grayson McCall – 29-41-1-319 (3TDs); Troy’s Gunnar Watson – 12-17-0-318 (3TDs), and Utah’s Cameron Rising – 22-34-0-310 (3TDs).

Impressive Rushers:

Tulane’s Tyjae Spears – 199 yards (1TD); Michigan’s Donovan Edwards – 185 yards (1TD, and; UTSA’s Kevorian Barnes – 175 yards (1TD).

 

TT’s Annual Picks

My choice for “Coach of the Year” from each FBS conference

ACC: Mike Elko – Duke; (Runner-Up): Mike Norvell – Florida State

Big 12: Chris Klieman – Kansas State; (Runner-Up): Sunny Dykes – TCU
Big Ten: Jeff Brohm – Purdue; (Runner-Up): Bret Bielema – Illinois
Pac-12: Ken DeBoer – Washington; (Runner-Up): Jonathan Smith – Oregon State
SEC: Shane Beamer – South Carolina; (Runner-Up): (tie) Brian Kelly – LSU, and Josh Heupel – Tennessee  
AAC: Willie Fritz – Tulane; (Runner-Up): Gus Malzahn – UCF
C-USA: Jeff Taylor – UTSA; (Runner-Up): Seth Littrell – North Texas
MAC: Tim Albin – Ohio; (Runner-Up): Chris Creighton – Eastern Michigan
MWC: Jeff Tedford – Fresno State; (Runner-Up): Craig Bohl – Wyoming
Sun Belt: Jon Sumrall – Troy; (Runner-Up): Curt Cignetti – James Madison
Independents: Jim Mora – Connecticut; (Runner-Up): Marcus Freeman – Notre Dame

My choice for 2022’s national “Coach of the Year”


  1. Jim Harbaugh – Michigan
  2. Willie Fritz – Tulane  
  3. (tie) Chris Klieman – Kansas State and Josh Heupel – Tennessee

If I had a vote for the Heisman Trophy, my ballot would be cast as follows

 

  1. Caleb Williams – USC
  2. Michael Penix Jr. – Washington
  3. Brad Roberts – Air Force

2022’s most surprising team or teams from each FBS conference

ACC: (tie) Duke (8-4) and Florida State (9-3)

Big 12: (tie)TCU (12-1) and Kansas State (10-3)
Big Ten: (tie) Illinois (8-4) and Purdue (8-5)
Pac-12: Washington State (7-5)
SEC: (tie) LSU (9-4) and South Carolina (8-4)
AAC: Tulane (11-2)
C-USA: North Texas (7-6)
MAC: (tie) Ohio (9-4) and Eastern Michigan (8-4)
MWC: Wyoming (7-5)
Sun Belt: James Madison (8-3)
Independents: Connecticut (6-6)

2022’s most disappointing team or teams from each FBS conference

ACC: (tie) Miami (5-7) and Wake Forest (7-5)

Big 12: (three-way tie) Oklahoma (6-6), Baylor (6-6) and Oklahoma State (7-5)
Big Ten: Wisconsin (6-6)
Pac-12: Oregon (9-3)
SEC: Texas A&M (5-7)
AAC: Houston (7-5)
C-USA: UAB (6-6)
MAC: (three-way tie) Miami (6-6), Northern Illinois (3-9) and Kent State (5-7)
MWC: Colorado State (3-9)
Sun Belt: Appalachian State (6-6) and Louisiana (6-6)
Independents: BYU (7-5)

 

Quotes of the Week

Lane Kiffin yanked Auburn’s chain to get a $3 million raise from Ole Miss,” John on The Paul Finebaum Show.

“Auburn athletic director John Cohen said that Hugh Freeze was the appropriate hire for Auburn. That can be taken two ways,” John on The Paul Finebaum Show.

“I truly understand what you want. All you want is the opportunity to win. To compete. To dominate. To be amongst the elite. To be amongst the best. And darn it, I’m going to give you that,” new Colorado coach Deion Sanders, speaking to Colorado alumni, boosters and fans on Sunday in Boulder.

 

Touchdown Tom’s Prediction for

This Week’s One Biggest and Most Intriguing Game….and then none

Army (5-6) vs. Navy (4-7) – (Ind. vs. AAC) – 3 pm ET, Saturday, CBS – Both teams enter the game with losing records. However, if Army wins, the Cadets will be bowl eligible. And if Army wins, look for Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo to be fired. He was almost fired last year, but the season-ending win over Army saved his jib. Army is No. 2 in the country in rushing yards, averaging 304 yards a game. Navy is 8th, averaging 295 yards a game. The Middies are also good on defending the rush. They only allow 86 yards a game on the ground. So, it should be interesting. The Cadets tank the Middies – Army 30, Navy 21.

 

ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:

West Florida (12-1) at Ferris State (12-1) – (Gulf South vs. GLIAC) – (Division II Semifinal) – 12 noon ET, Saturday….

 

Your 2022 Conference Champions

ACC: Clemson Tigers

Big 12: Kansas State Wildcats
Big Ten: Michigan Wolverines
Pac-12: Utah Utes
SEC: Georgia Bulldogs
AAC: Tulane Green Wave
C-USA: UTSA Roadrunners
MAC: Toledo Golden Rockets
MWC: Fresno State Bulldogs
Sun Belt: Troy Trojans

Touchdown Tom

P.S.

Not exactly college football related, but with the gray skies of early December upon us, the college football season was fading fast. The fans were talking about new coaches, bowl games and the Heisman Trophy, while the number one song in the country…

…80 years ago, this week in 1942, was “White Christmas” by Bing Crosby

…75 years ago, this week in 1947, was “Near You” by Francis Craig and His Orchestra

…70 years ago, this week in 1952, was “Why Don’t You Believe Me” by Joni James

…65 years ago, this week in 1957, was “You Send Me” by Sam Cooke

…60 years ago, this week in 1962, was “Big Girls Don’t Cry” by The Four Seasons

…55 years ago, this week in 1967, was “Daydream Believer” by The Monkees

…50 years ago, this week in 1972, was “Papa Was A Rollin’ Stone” by The Temptations, and “I Am Woman” by Helen Reddy

…45 years ago, this week in 1977, was “You Light Up My Life” by Debby Boone

…40 years ago, this week in 1982, was “Truly” by Lionel Richie

…35 years ago, this week in 1987, was “Heaven Is A Place On Earth” by Belinda Carlisle

…30 years ago, this week in 1992, was “I Will Always Love You” by Whitney Houston

 

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