Monday, December 16, 2024

CFW Week 16 Results/17 Forecast - Should college football adopt NFL format?

 CFW Week 16 Results/17 Forecast – Should college football adopt NFL format?

Blake Horvath was Captain America,

Bryson Daily was Sergeant Shultz

 

During the season, Army quarterback Bryson Daily acquired the nickname “Captain America.” It was a nickname given to him by his fellow teammates because Daily could do everything. He did everything right and nothing wrong. 

 

That is until Saturday when Army played Navy. Entering the game, Army was a 7-point favorite. However, Navy upset Army, 31-13. Navy quarterback Blake Horvath was “Captain America” on Saturday. Horvath passed for 107 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. Then he rushed for 204 yards, scoring two more touchdowns. Horvath averaged 8.2 yards per carry. Those are “Captain America” numbers.

 

Daily, on the other hand, failed to live up to his reputation. He was 7-for-16, passing for only 65 yards. Daily threw three interceptions. He did have one touchdown pass. On the ground, Daily only rushed for 52 yards, averaging just 2.7 yards per carry. His longest run was a mere 5 yards. In Landover, Maryland, on Saturday, Daily was more like Sergeant Shultz than “Captain America.”

 

After the game, no one attempted to plant a flag in the middle of the field. Instead, the players gathered in front of their fans and sang Army’s and then Navy’s alma maters.

 

You have heard of players opting out of bowl games. But have you ever heard of a team opting out of a bowl game? You have now. Marshall is opting out of its Independence Bowl game against, of all teams, Army. Marshall is opting out of the game because more than 25 of its players have entered the transfer portal. The Herd doesn’t have enough players to compete.

 

Army’s new opponent in the Independence Bowl is Louisiana Tech. With a 5-7 record, Louisiana Tech was not bowl eligible. However, in emergency situations, when a team with a 6-6 or better record is not available for an open bowl spot, then a 5-7 team can be selected. This switch in teams could be viewed as an advantage for Army. Where Marshall was a strong and worthy opponent for the Cadets, Louisiana Tech is a pretty weak team. Bryson Daily should become “Captain America” again in the Independence Bowl.

 

This whole mess of Marshall opting out because of too many players entering the transfer portal is more evidence the transfer portal is destroying bowl games. It’s one more reason why the portal should not open until after the bowl season. Who’s running college football? They sure are making a mess of things.

 

That brings up a good point. Many analysts think that college football is not sustainable under its current set up. Some believe that college football should move to an NFL format. The 32-team NFL has two conferences (American and National) with four divisions in each conference. There are four teams in each of the 8 divisions. At the end of the season, 14 teams – 7 from each conference – make the playoff. The 14 teams are the 8 division winners, plus 6 wild card teams – 3 from each conference. In each conference, the division winner with the best record gets a first-round bye in the playoff. 

 

So, imagine this: The top level of college football would consist of 64 teams. The 64 teams would be divided into two conferences. Each conference would consist of 32 teams with four divisions. There would be 8 teams in each of the 8 divisions. At the end of the season, 24 teams – 12 from each conference – would make the playoff. The 24 teams would be the 8 division winners, plus 16 wild card teams – 8 from each conference. The 8 division winners would get a first-round bye in the playoff.

 

This top level of college football would basically consist of today’s Power Four conference teams. There are 68 Power Four teams, so 4 would have to be removed. For football purposes only, schools would no longer be associated with the conferences where they reside today. The 64 teams would be assigned to one of the eight divisions in the two conferences. The playoff winner would be the national champion. There would no longer be a committee selecting the playoff teams. No more complaints.

 

The same format would be set up for a second tier of schools below the top level – basically today’s Group of Five conference teams. Like the top level of teams, this tier would also have two conferences of 64 teams, with 32 teams in each conference. The conferences would consist of 8 divisions with 8 teams in each division. They would have their own playoff – 24 teams consisting of 12 teams from each conference. Same format as the top tier.

 

There would be a top tier (Power Four if you will) national champion and a second tier (Group of Five if you will) national champion.

 

Of course, I am still a fan of the relegation format which I have written about before. But I would accept this. It’s a better set up than what we have currently.

 

Last week, Colorado’s Travis Hunter became the first player ever to win both the Bednarik Award and the Biletnikoff Award. The Bednarik Award is for college football’s top defensive player. The Biletnikoff Award honors college football’s top receiver.

 

As we expected in the last post, West Virginia hired Rich Rodriguez to be the Mountaineers new head coach. And, as suspected in the last post, UNLV hired Dan Mullen to be the Rebels new football coach.

 

Rodriguez, a former West Virginia coach (2001-2007) has been the Jacksonville State coach for the past three seasons (2022-2024). In between, he coached Michigan (2008-2010) and Arizona (2012-2017). Mullen is the former coach of Mississippi State (2009-2017) and Florida (2018-2021). From 2001 to 2008, he was Urban Meyer’s quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator at Bowling Green, Utah and Florida. The past three seasons, Mullen has been an ESPN college football analyst and game commentator.

 

Saturday, New Mexico named Idaho coach Jason Eck as its new head coach. Eck has coached Idaho for the past three seasons, with a 26-13 record. Prior to Idaho, he was the offensive coordinator at South Dakota State for three seasons.

 

That just leaves Sam Houston as the only one of 23 schools that has not named a new coach.

 

An update to Bill Belichick’s contract with North Carolina. It’s a five-year contract at $10 million a year – $50 million.

 

Happy Holidays………Merry Christmas………Happy Hanukkah………Season’s Greetings

 

Touchdown Tom

December 16, 2024

https://collegefootballweek.blogspot.com

 

 

Weekend Recap

 

The armada – Navy 31, Army 13 (Touchdown Tom said: Army 26, Navy 19). Navy came out and made a statement early in the game. On its opening drive, the Middies moved down the field and scored the first touchdown. Navy was up 7-0, with 8:56 to go in the first quarter. The Middies didn’t quit. Early in the second quarter, Navy scored again and took a 14-0 lead. Five minutes later, Army scored its first touchdown. The Cadets trailed, 14-7. Army actually kept the game close throughout the third quarter and into the fourth quarter. The Cadets scored first in the third quarter with a field goal and trailed 14-10. Two minutes later, Navy increased its lead to 21-10. Army kicked another field goal and trailed 21-13 early in the fourth quarter. Then the Cadets fell apart. Navy added 10 more points (touchdown and field goal) within a five-minute span in the fourth quarter. The Middies were up 31-13 with 3:45 remaining in the game. It was all over but the shouting. Navy had 378 total yards. Quarterback Blake Horvath had a hand in 311 of those yards. Army had 178 total yards. The Cadets had three turnovers – all interceptions thrown by Bryson Daily. Army and Navy played for the 125th time. Navy leads the series 63-55-7. Attendance in Landover: 60,726

 

Week 16 Result:      0 winners, 1fumble (0 percent)

Final Season Results: 145 Winners, 63 fumbles (69.7 percent)

 

 

Review of the First Bowl Game

 

Major win – (in the Veterans Bowl) – South Alabama 30, Western Michigan 23 (Touchdown Tom said: South Alabama 31, Western Michigan 22). Western Michigan took the initial lead and led 10-0 early in the second quarter. Then South Alabama scored 16 unanswered points. The Jaguars led 16-13 at halftime and never relinquished the lead for the remainder of the game. Early in the fourth quarter, the game was still close. South Alabama led 23-20. Trailing 30-20, WMU kicked a 48-yard field goal with 1:11 left in the game. South Alabama racked up 537 total yards – 271 yards passing and 236 yards rushing. First-year South Alabama coach Major Applewhite completed the season with a bowl win and a 7-6 record. Attendance in Montgomery: 12,021

 

First Bowl Game Pick:  1 winner, 0 fumbles (100 percent)

 

 

Heisman Trophy Presentation

 

Colorado receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter won the 2024 Heisman Trophy. Hunter got 552 first place votes and 2,231 points (3 points for a first-place vote, 2 for a second-place vote and 1 for a third-place vote). Hunter was followed in the balloting by Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty (309, 2,017) and Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel (24, 516).

 

The remaining players who finished in the Top 10 of the balloting were 4. Miami (Florida) quarterback Cam Ward (6, 229); 5. Arizona State running back Cam Skattebo (3, 170); 6. Army quarterback Bryson Daily (3, 89); 7. Penn State tight end Tyler Warren (1, 52); 8. Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders (1, 47); 9. Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke (2, 22), and 10. Syracuse quarterback Kyle McCord (0, 9).  

 

 

Superlatives

 

Impressive Passers:

 

None

 

Impressive Rushers:

 

Navy’s Blake Horvath – 204 yards (2TDs) and South Alabama’s Kentrell Bullock – 150 yards (1TD).

 

 

FCS (Division I) Quarterfinals

 

Montana State 52, Idaho 19 – Attendance in Bozeman: 18,127

South Dakota State 55, Incarnate Word 14 – Attendance in Brookings: 8,671

South Dakota 35, UC Davis 21 – Attendance in Vermillion: 6,135

North Dakota State 31, Mercer 7 – Attendance in Fargo: 10,353

 

The FCS playoff has become a Dakota thing.

 

 

Celebration Bowl

 

Jackson State 28, South Carolina State 7 – Attendance in Atlanta: 36,823

 

 

Division II Semifinals

 

Valdosta State 35, Minnesota State 21

Ferris State 48, Slippery Rock 38

 

 

Division III Quarterfinals

 

Mount Union 38, Salisbury 17

Susquehanna 24, Bethel (MN) 21

Johns Hopkins 17, Mary Hardin-Baylor 10

North Central 27, Springfield 3

 

 

Touchdown Tom’s Predictions for The Next Three Bowl Games

 

Memphis (10-2) vs. West Virginia (6-6) – (AAC vs. Big 12) – Frisco Bowl (Toyota Stadium – Frisco, Texas) – 9 pm ET, Tuesday, ESPN – West Virginia has at least seven players who have opted out for the transfer portal. The Mountaineers also will be playing under an interim coach – Chad Scott. Scott was Neal Brown’s offensive coordinator. WVU’s offense is hot and cold. Every other week, the running game is on. The passing game is rarely ever on. That doesn’t say much for Scott’s offensive coordinating. The Mounties averaged 29 points a game, but the defense gave up 31 points a game. You can’t win games when your defense gives up more points than your offense scores. Yes, the WVU defense is bad, especially against the pass. There is no defense against the pass. Enter the Memphis Tigers. Memphis has a quarterback – Seth Henigan – who passed for 3,208 yards. Henigan completed 64% of his passes and only threw six interceptions in 12 games this season. Memphis only has three players who have opted out and Henigan isn’t one of them. The Tigers are riding a three-game winning streak. The last win was a good one over Tulane at Tulane. Henigan has a heyday – Memphis 34, West Virginia 24.

 

Western Kentucky (8-5) vs. James Madison (8-4) – (C-USA vs. Sun Belt) – Boca Raton Bowl (FAU Stadium – Boca Raton, Florida) – 5:30 pm ET, Wednesday, ESPN – Although they won more than they lost, both of these teams were up-and-down during the season. WKU did manage to play in the C-USA championship game. However, the Hilltoppers were a no show – losing 52-12 to Jacksonville State. WKU’s best player is quarterback Caden Veltkamp. When Veltkamp is on, the Hilltoppers can be dangerous. WKU averages 26 points a game and gives up 25 points a game. Their strength on defense has been against the pass. That’s why Jacksonville State ran on the Hilltoppers. Like WKU, James Madison played in its conference championship game. Unlike WKU, JMU showed up in its title game. The Monarchs lost to Marshall, 35-33 (OT). The highlight of JMU’s season was beating North Carolina, 70-50. That game was the demise of North Carolina coach Mack Brown. The Monarchs have a decent quarterback in Alonza Barnett. Barnett passed for 2,596 yards and only threw four interceptions. However, Barnett doesn’t have a high completion rate – 60%. The Monarchs rule – James Madison 31, Western Kentucky 27.

 

California (6-6) vs. UNLV (10-3) – (ACC vs. MWC) – LA Bowl (SoFi Stadium – Inglewood, California) – 9 pm ET, Wednesday, ESPN – California’s record is deceptive. Five of the Bears’ six losses were by a total of 17 points – 3 points a game. However, Cal is in trouble in this game. Quarterback Fernando Mendoza has opted out for the transfer portal. Mendoza was Cal’s only offense. He passed for 3,004 yards. The Bears have no running game. UNLV is up a creek without a paddle too. The Rebels’ quarterback Jayden Maiava is in the transfer portal. Even worse, UNLV’s coach – Barry Odom – has left for Purdue. Cal and UNLV could be two entirely different looking teams in the game. It’s a toss-up. The Rebels land on their feet – UNLV 24, California 21

 

 

Quotes of the Week

 

“Getting old sucks, unless you’re Bill Belichick,” CBS Sports college football writer Dennis Dodd.

 

“I didn’t come here to leave,” new North Carolina coach Bill Belichick, after his introduction in Chapel Hill.

 

“It beats working. When you love what you do, it’s not work,” North Carolina coach Bill Belichick, on why he keeps coaching. 

 

I got a lot of insight. He ain’t going nowhere. He’s going to be right where he’s at right now,” Colorado player Travis Hunter, on rumors that Deion Sanders will leave Colorado.

 

“I never should have left,” new West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez, at his introductory news conference.

 

“I really felt like I should’ve walked away with the award, but kudos to Travis for winning,” Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty.

 

Touchdown Tom

https://collegefootballweek.blogspot.com

 

 

P.S.

 

Not exactly college football related, but during the pre-Christmas days of December, as college football fans were drinking eggnog and eating fruitcake, with visions of what ifs, bowl games and Santa Claus dancing in their heads, the number one song in the country…

 

…80 years ago, this week in 1944, was “I’m Making Believe” by The Ink Spots and Ella Fitzgerald

 

…75 years ago, this week in 1949, was “Mule Train” by Frankie Laine

 

…70 years ago, this week in 1954, was “Mr. Sandman” by The Chordettes, and “I Need You Now” by Eddie Fisher

 

…65 years ago, this week in 1959, was “Heartaches By The Number” by Guy Mitchell

 

…60 years ago, this week in 1964, was “Mr. Lonely” by Bobby Vinton

 

…55 years ago, this week in 1969, was “Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye” by Steam

 

…50 years ago, this week in 1974, was “Kung Fu Fighting” by Carl Douglas

 

…45 years ago, this week in 1979, was “Babe” by Styx

 

…40 years ago, this week in 1984, was “Out Of Touch” by Daryl Hall and John Oates

 

…35 years ago, this week in 1989, was “We Didn’t Start The Fire” by Billy Joel

No comments:

Post a Comment