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www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/big-ten-considering-the-elimination-of-divisions-amid-college-football-playoff-expansion-talks/
According to CBS Sports, the Big Ten is considering eliminating its divisions for football, and play more like the Big XII. They would play 8 conference games, rotating (I am assuming certain rivalries would be protected and played every year), and then whoever the top two teams are, would play in the Big Ten title game. The general idea is that by taking the top two teams, period, should the CFP expand, it would increase the chances of more than one B1G team being chosen, and by dropping the number of conference games from 9 down to 8, allow the Big Ten, Pac-12 and ACC to schedule more games against each other non-conference. If you recall, a while ago, they formed sort of a pact with each other. Personally? I think this is a terrible idea. First, even with only 3 non-conference games in a 12 game schedule, you can still schedule a team from the ACC or Pac-12. Michigan's opening game this season was against the Washington Huskies. Secondly, until the teams currently in the West simply get better, you know what is probably going to happen? The B1G title game will almost alway be a rematch between the Ohio State/Michigan/Penn State/Michigan State (pick 2) game earlier that year...You know why the West division has NEVER won the B1G title game? Because they just aren't as good. That's not Ohio State's fault, not Michigan's, not Penn State's, not Michigan State's. The solution to the total imbalance is simply for the teams in the West to just...play better football.
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The Georgia Bulldogs have finally ascended. They have been SOO CLOSE to the National Championship for years, only to be edged out by SEC rival Alabama, time and time again...last night, in a game that was a LOT closer than the final score, they finally overcame their humps, and defeated the Crimson Tide in the National Title Game.
I'd say congrats to the Bulldogs, but fuck them, they whipped Michigan, and I am still annoyed by that. However, it is nice to have National Champions in college football NOT named Alabama every once in a while... The final poll of the year (top 10 only): 1. Georgia 2. Alabama 3. Michigan 4. Cincinnati 5. Baylor 6. Ohio State 7. Oklahoma State 8. Notre Dame 9. Michigan State 10. Oklahoma Top 25
Random Thoughts
Cornerback Travis Hunter, the No. 2-ranked recruit in the country, flipped his commitment from Florida State to Jackson State on Wednesday to become the first five-star high school football prospect to sign with an FCS team since ESPN started its rankings in 2006.
Jackson State coach Deion Sanders, a Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive back, teased before the start of the early signing period that he was going to pull off something historic, and now Sanders has pulled away a five-star defensive back from his alma mater. Hunter, a 6-foot-1, 165-pound prospect from Collins High School in Suwanee, Georgia, had been committed to Florida State since March 2020. "Florida State has always been a beacon for me," Hunter said in his Twitter post Wednesday. "I grew up down there, that's where my roots are, and I never doubted that I would play for the Seminoles. "It's a dream that is hard to let go of, but sometimes we are called to step into a bigger future than the one we imagined for ourselves. For me, that future is at Jackson State University." At his signing ceremony, Hunter had three baseball caps on the table in front of him as he prepared to make his announcement: Florida State, Auburn and Georgia. He tossed them off the stage one-by-one and unzipped his sweatshirt to reveal a T-shirt that read Believe. He then caught a Jackson State cap -- with a dark blue J on a white background -- that was tossed to him from the crowd and put that on. A longtime member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference, Jackson State won its first SWAC title since 2007 last month. Hunter had taken visits to Georgia during his recruiting process, sparking reports that he might flip to the Bulldogs. Hunter shot those rumors down, saying on social media that he was a Seminole and was not decommitting in October. "Historically Black Colleges and Universities have a rich history in football," Hunter said in his post. "I want to be part of that history, and more, I want to be part of that future. I am making this decision so that I can light the way for others to follow, make it a little easier for the next player to recognize that HBCUs may be everything you want and more." Sanders signed his son, quarterback Shedeur Sanders, who was an ESPN 300 recruit in the 2021 class, along with ESPN 300 prospects Katron Evans, Quaydarius Davis and Trevonte Rucker. At the time, Shedeur Sanders was the highest-ranked commit Jackson State had signed, but Hunter now takes that spot. Thoughts: - This is a huge win for Deion, showing that he can bring in top tier talent. - Huge loss for FSU. They also lost their Offensive Coordinator to Oregon the same day as well. - This is an enormous risk for Hunter. While it is a huge opportunity to be coached by Sanders for a defensive back, very few players from HBCUs make it into the pros from there. There are currently 18 players in the NFL from HBCUs while there are 35 from FSU alone. - I won't be shocked to see Hunter move to one of the larger schools if he performs really well in his first year or two as he has thrown away a lot of name/image/likeness money away with the switch. AWARD
CATEGORY 2021 WINNER Heisman Memorial Trophy Outstanding Plaer Bryce Young, Alabama Maxwell Award Player of the Year Bryce Young, Alabama Walter Camp Award Player of the Year Kenneth Walker III, Michigan State Home Depot Award Coach of the Year Luke Fickell, Cincinnati Jim Thorpe Award Best Defensive Back Coby Bryant, Cincinnati Davey O'Brien Award Best Quarterback Bryce Young, Alabama Rimington Award Best Center Tyler Linderbaum, Iowa Lou Groza Award Best Placekicker Jake Moody, Michigan Butkus Award Best Linebacker Nakobe Dean, Georgia Doak Walker Award Best Running Back Kenneth Walker III, Michigan State Biletnikoff Award Best Wide Receiver Jordan Addison, Pittsburgh John Mackey Award Best Tight End Trey McBride, Colorado State Outland Trophy Beset Interior Lineman Jordan Davis, Georgia Ray Guy Award Best Punter Matt Araiza, San Diego State Bednarik Award Defensive Player of the Year Jordan Davis, Georgia Bronko Nagurski Trophy Defensive Player of the Year Will Anderson, Alabama Burlsworth Trophy Top Former Walk-On Grant Morgan, Arkansas Disney Spirit Award Most Inspirational Tre Tipton, Pittsburgh William V. Campbell Trophy Academic Heisman Charlie Kolar, Iowa State Weurffel Trophy Community Service Isaiah Sanders, Stanford Broyles Award Best Assistant Coach Josh Gattis, Michigan I'm fine with most of the awards. I don't think Bryce Young was even the best player on his team as I think George Young was the best player in college football but the Heisman has turned into a quarterback award with the exception a WR or RB in random years. Bowl Schedule. As teams get finalized, I’ll edit the post.
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Top 25
Random Thoughts
Heisman Finalists. Here is my guess at who we’ll see for the ceremony.
Our Final Four Will Be! 1. Alabama: Alabama’s offensive kryptonite seems to be loud road games, something that they won’t see for the rest of their season no matter who they play. This team is susceptible to power running games so if you want to beat the Tide, you need to be able to control the clock and minimize mistakes. 2. Michigan: Underappreciated throughout the year, only becoming the Belle of the B10 Ball so they haven’t had to live with the pressure. Expect that despite them being the number two for them to be a touchdown underdog. I’m not sure Georgia is the best team that I want to play with a meh QB but it is who they draw. 3. Georgia: They are going to be beyond pissed and looking to earn a second crack at Bama. Michigan’s dynamic pass rush might even be better than Alabama’s so they may have some trouble if they fall behind again but their front seven speed is likely to be something that Michigan hasn’t seen this year. 4. Cincinnati: Another easy win. It will be interesting to see how good the Bearcats really are as it has been awhile since they faced a decent team and that was an unimpressive Notre Dame. They will likely get their shot against Alabama to prove that they belong against the big kids as they get ready to transition to the B12. Down:
Just Waiting:
PAC 12 - Rematches, rematches, rematches! Just two weeks after getting annihilated by Utah, Oregon finds itself in a rematch against the Utes for the PAC-12 title....and what is on the line for Oregon? A Duck win would very likely set up another rematch in the Rose Bowl...Oregon vs. Ohio State...I know most of us tend to ignore the PAC-12, but I find the idea that a rematch game could lead to another rematch game kind of interesting... SEC - Well, what do you know...It's Alabama and Georgia, AGAIN. Depending on who wins, we could see two SEC teams in the CFP, AGAIN...It's okay if you are feeling a little bit of deja vu here... BIG XII - Why is Cincinnati's hold on the #4 spot in the CFP tenuous? Because Oklahoma State is breathing right down their neck, and finish out their season against a much better opponent. Baylor is #9, while Cincinnati's opponent, Houston, is only ranked #21. While Oklahoma State is 11-1, with another win over Baylor, Oklahoma State would easily win any strength of schedule debate with Cincy. If Cincinnati doesn't absolutely blow out Houston, Oklahoma State could jump them with a strong game against Baylor. Remember, when it comes to Conference Championship weekend, the entire country is watching...you absolutely want to give the CFP selection committee a strong statement game to consider...and Oklahoma State/Baylor, #5 vs #9, is a much stronger statement game than #4 vs. #21 is. ACC - Who cares? There is literally nothing on the line. Big Ten - This is an important statement game for the Wolverines. All they have been hearing for years from Buckeye and Spartan fans is how "Harbaugh can't beat Ohio State! Harbaugh has never been to the Big Ten Championship game! Harbaugh can't take Michigan to the CFP!"...they beat Ohio State. With a win over Iowa, the Michigan Wolverines will be Big Ten Champions, and will be one of the 4 teams playing for the National Championship in January. So, who will be in the college football playoff? GUARANTEED #1 Georgia. As long as they aren't blown out, It doesn't really matter if Alabama beats them in the SEC title game. This is a #1 vs. #3, the lowest Georgia would fall in a loss would be #4, but realistically, if Alabama beats them, they simply swap rankings, with Alabama taking over #1, and Georgia dropping to #3. Either way, the Georgia Bulldogs are going to be one of the four teams playing in the College Football Playoffs. WIN, AND YOU ARE IN #2 Michigan, #3 Alabama. Obvious. A 12-1 Big Ten Champ and a 12-1 SEC Champ are in, there are no serious arguments to be made to exclude either team if they win this weekend. IT DEPENDS #4 Cincinnati/#5 Oklahoma State. I lump these two teams together, because I believe the distance between the #4 Bearcats and #5 Cowboys is a lot closer than people think. Cincinnati is undefeated, playing a weak schedule. Oklahoma State has the potential to make a much bigger statement, based on who each team's opponent is. I've made no bones about the fact that I believe Cincinnati is a pretender, not a contender, and this weekend is one of the reasons why. #9 Baylor >>> #21 Houston as a Conference title game opponent. I am not convinced that a 13-0 Cincinnati team gets the nod over a 12-1 Oklahoma State team that played much stronger competition. It's going to depend on how each team does in their respective title games. If Cincy whips Houston, okay, fair enough. But if Cincinnati struggles, and OSU wins convincingly, I can see the committee taking OSU over them. Cincinnati fans should really root for Michigan, Alabama or Oklahoma State to lose to solidify their spot. They only need one of them to be eliminated from contention. NEEDS HELP. #6 Notre Dame. As much as we want to ignore the Irish, fact is, we can't quite eliminate them from CFP contention just yet. They need a lot of help, but, Notre Dame could still find themselves with an argument for inclusion into the CFP if Michigan/Alabama/Cincinnati/Oklahoma State (pick 2) lose. If two of those four teams stumble this weekend, the Irish could find themselves in the top 4 afterall.. OUT - Everyone else. I don't see a pathway for any other teams after #6 Notre Dame to make it, regardless of who wins and loses. In a shocking move, LSU is set to hire Notre Dame's Brian Kelly as its next head football coach, sources told ESPN. An agreement likely will be finalized in the next 24 hours. Kelly, in his 12th season at Notre Dame, will replace Ed Orgeron, whom LSU announced on Oct. 17 would not return as coach of the Tigers in 2022, less than two years removed from an undefeated season and national championship. Kelly, 60, is the winningest coach in Notre Dame history with 92 victories. He guided Notre Dame to the BCS title game in 2012 and to College Football Playoff appearances in 2018 and 2020. Notre Dame (11-1) still has a chance to make the College Football Playoff this season and is ranked No. 6 in the latest CFP rankings. The Fighting Irish suffered their only loss of the season on Oct. 2 to No. 4 Cincinnati. Kelly's departure comes as a major surprise to prominent Notre Dame sources who spoke to ESPN earlier Monday. Sources said LSU had approached Kelly earlier this fall, but he declined any interest in the job. LSU made another push for Kelly over the weekend. Kelly last week addressed the possibility of leaving Notre Dame for another job, telling reporters, "No. I mean, [Pittsburgh Steelers coach] Mike Tomlin had the best line, right? Unless that fairy godmother comes by with that $250 million check, my wife would want to take a look at it first. I'd have to run it by her." Cincinnati's Luke Fickell will be a top target to replace Kelly at Notre Dame, sources told ESPN's Chris Low. The timing would be anything but ideal for Fickell, though. He has his undefeated Bearcats on the cusp of the College Football Playoff if they can win their matchup against Houston on Saturday in the AAC championship game. Fickell has drawn serious interest from several other big-name schools in recent years, but sources close to Fickell said earlier this year that the two jobs that would be most difficult for him to turn down would be Notre Dame and Ohio State, the latter being his alma mater. Sources told ESPN that Notre Dame defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman would also receive serious consideration for the head-coaching job. Kelly is 263-96-2 as a college coach with two Division II national titles at Grand Valley State and 10 AP top-10 finishes. He came to Notre Dame from Cincinnati, where he went 34-6 with two New Year's Six bowl appearances. In the two seasons since winning a national title, LSU has gone 11-11 and Orgeron was accused of improperly handling allegations of sexual misconduct by a player twice in the past year. On Saturday, LSU upset Texas A&M 27-24 for its sixth win of the season. Afterward, Orgeron announced that he will not coach in LSU's upcoming bowl game, with offensive line coach Brad Davis to act as the interim coach for the game. "Whoever the new coach is, I wish him all the luck in the world," Orgeron said Saturday. "I'll always be an LSU fan." LSU had been connected to various coaches, including Jimbo Fisher, whom Orgeron beat on Saturday and who has vehemently denied that he is leaving Texas A&M for any job this offseason. Oklahoma's Lincoln Riley also shut down speculation over the weekend that he could be up for the LSU job, before accepting the position at USC only a day ago. Thoughts: - The only bigger splashes would have been if LSU was able to talk Nick Saban or Dabo Sweeney away. LSU wanted a big fish and opened up the wallet big enough to get it. - I love this hire. Brian Kelly has built pretty solid defenses at Notre Dame over the last few years and now he'll be able to take it to another level with the talent that LSU can bring in. - Kelly needs to find an offensive guru who can bring the offense up to another level. - Luke Fickell from Cincy is already being thrown around as the name to replace Kelly at Notre Dame, but we'll see as I think Matt Campbell from Iowa State will be another name of interest. With the end of the regular season, it is time to open up the college football coaching carousal.
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