A champ in name only
The college football world is less a few days from crowning a champ.
Of course, Central Florida believes that game is an exercise in futility.
UCF AD Danny White and his school have claimed a share of the national championship.
It has put a lot of the game's power brokers on tilt too. So at least in that way, the announcement achieved a large part of its initial goal. And for all the bonus money UCF is about to pay to a coaching staff that has already turned its attention to their new gigs at Nebraska, it will get that back at least five-fold in PR.
In fact, here's what ESPN college football playoff ace Heather Dinich sent out on social media: Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby told me he's not ready for any serious talks about expanding the playoff, and that the current 4-team CFP is fair to undefeated UCF because the Knights likely wouldn't be undefeated if they played a Power 5 conference schedule. "It's fair because playing in the American Athletic is not the same as playing in the Big Ten or the SEC or the Big 12, it's just not. They have some big games, but they don't have an Iowa State who can beat a second-ranked Oklahoma. The depth of those leagues and the quality at the top, getting ready for one game against Auburn, that's a lot different than playing Auburn every week. ... TCU, if TCU and UCF played 10 times, I defy anybody to convince me that UCF would win the majority of the games. Of course I've only been looking at it for 35 years."
Wowser. How do you really feel, Bob.
And we talked a little but about this earlier in the week. And at least one former sports executive and current sports media analyst believes the details of this week will expedite the expansion of the college football playoff.
Neal Pinson, the former CBS Sports president, told Dennis Dodd, that an eight-team playoff will happen for the next TV package. (The current deal runs through 2026, but could be renegotiated before then.)
But Pilson thinks it has nothing to do with UCF. To the contrary, he believes the all-SEC matchup of Georgia and Alabama will be bad for the ratings. And the TV needs of having different regions in the mix - especially the Big Ten, which has a footprint that covers more than a quarter of the population.
While Pinson put his name on the details, another sports consultant told Doss that Monday's game, while great for a lot of folks in the South, has the "potential to be the lowest rated" ever.
One thing to watch here, as White pounds his chest and enjoys the spotlight of the moment (and it's a great moment considering the 13-0 and the win over Auburn, which beat the two title contenders): All of this hubbub will be remembered when the expansion comes. And if the powers that be decide, "Well, why do you need a spot in the field if you are going to claim a national title either way" maybe all this celebrating could work to the Group of Five's detriment.
Thoughts?
More AU losses
And the hits just keep coming. After a disastrous finish to what was an amazing November, the bad news continues to land on Auburn.
There was the SEC sleepwalk with an injured Kerryon Johnson.
There was the Peach Bowl snoozefest in which motivation was treated like a four-letter word from the Tigers coaches. (Seriously, as UCF's 5-foot-11 quarterback was slicing up an AU defense that had been stout for most of the season, Kevin Steele looked like he needed a nap in the coaching box. Alas.)
There was a team that was one win for playing in the playoff for the first team that somehow finished with four losses, one fewer than they had in 2016 when an 8-5 finish and a Sugar Bowl beatdown kind of put Gus Malzahn on the hot seat in a lot of people's view. (Side note: There's no way Malzahn's seat is not anything but as cool as cold hard cash now. Not after he signed a seven-year, $49 million extension last month.)
Well, now, in an offseason in which Auburn had a chance to lure a number of folks back - not unlike the nucleus of talent Georgia and Kirby Smart convinced to come back to make these Bulldogs true title contenders - the Tigers are jumping ship like it's the Titanic.
Running backs Kerryon Johnson and Kamryn Pettway as well as standout corner Carlton Davis opted to enter the NFL draft. Now defensive end Jeff Holland has followed them.
All will get a chance to make a living playing football, especially Davis and Holland, two guys that check important boxes - cover corner with size; thick defensive end who can rush the passer - for the current NFL.
And we have forever said, if you can go, you like should go.
But Auburn's losses since the Iron Bowl seem to get bigger and bigger, and the decisions to go pro may not be done.
Considering that the Tigers will also lose four starters on the offensive line, at least one linebacker (and maybe more), the most productive kicker in SEC history and both safeties, well, Malzahn is certainly going to get a chance sooner rather than later to prove he's worth that much money.
QB depth
While we are here, two of the biggest names on the minds of NFL scouts in terms of declaring for the draft have put their names in the pool.
USC quarterback Sam Darnold and UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen are in. And they will not be in the Green Room long come next spring.
And while this could change multiple times in multiple directions between now the Draft, the storyline of who is looking at drafting a quarterback in the first two rounds and who isn't will be totally intriguing.
Consider the following: Of the teams in the top 20 draft slots Cleveland (picks 1 and 4), New York Giants (2), Denver (5), New York Jets (6) and most likely Washington (13) will be looking for a starting QB who will be ready sooner rather than later. Now add in teams like New England, San Diego, Baltimore and even Pittsburgh who could be eyeing a first- or second-round QB as back-ups to aging starters, that's nine teams hunting a QB.
Now where Washington's Kirk Cousins lands will take one of the teams in the first group off the board.
But if there are seven or eight teams hunting a QB, this draft class will offer a number of intriguing names.
Starting with Darnold and Rosen, two guys that will go through the predraft paces under a lot of scrutiny.
And while those L.A. dudes may go 1-2 in the process, they likely will not even been the most talked about QB in the class.
That will be Baker Mayfield, the current Heisman winner. Or it could be a former Heisman winner in Lamar Jackson. That's four dudes who have monstrous upside, right?
Now what about some guys that look the part? Guys like Josh Allen of Wyoming, Mason Rudolph of Oklahoma State, Luke Falk of Washington State and even someone like Mike White of Western Kentucky.
And those are the ones off the top of our head.
In fact, if you were a second-tier QB trying to decide to stay or go to the draft right now, that front-loaded class could make it really easy to stay one more year in college right?
This and that
- The Boston Celtics thumped the Cleveland LeBrons last night. That will be a fun Eastern Conference Finals, and man it's hard to think about handling that Boston eight-man rotation if Gordon Hayward had not broken his leg a 15 minutes into the season. Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Al Horford, Marcus Morris and of Kyrie Irving is a tough starting five and each averse more than 11 points per game. With Marcus Smart and Terry Rozier coming off the bench that's a tough seven to handle. Add Hayward in there and wow.
- Another exclamation point on the memo line of another monster check in the head-shaking money being spent by college football powers. Sources are telling ESPN that LSU has convinced defensive coordinator Dave Aranda to stay in Red Stick. The price: four years, $10 million all of it guaranteed. Sweet buckets of pennies and pesos, that's a ton of coin for a bleepin' assistant coach. According to USA Today's annual data base of coaches pay, there were only 46 of the 130 head coaches at the FBS level that made more than $2.5 million last year.
- It's becoming harder and harder not to believe the San Francisco 49ers redirected their franchise by dealing a second-rounder to New England for Jimmy Garoppolo. Here's more and how Bill Belichick's overflowing praise of Jimmy G may have not have been strong enough for the quarterback in the eyes of 49ers GM John Lynch. (Side note: In doing this column for going on eight full years, we're pretty sure of the millions of words we have written, that's the first time we have strung "Bill Belichick's overflowing praise" together. So there's that.)
- Shayla Hill, take a bow. The Grambling State point guard got an assist late in a 93-71 win to record a quadruple-double with 15 points, 10 assists, 10 rebounds and 10 steals. There have been four official quadruple-doubles in women's D-I hoops, one in men's D-I hoops and four official quad-dubs in the NBA. The NBA, of course, did not start counting blocks as an official stat until 1973, so let's just assume that Wilt and Bill Russell had more than few between them back in the day. The four NBA players to do it are Nate Thurmond, Alvin Robertson, Hakeem Olajuwon and David Robinson. Nice company, Shayla, for sure.
Today's question
On this day in 1936, Billboard magazine published its first music charts.
Don Shula turns 88 today.
Sir Isaac Newton would be 375 today.
Michael Stipe is 58 today.
On this day in 2015, Stuart Scott died. R.I.P.
Rushmore of all-time ESPN personalities. Go.