Tag: Big 12

Georgia Is Still The Team To Beat, Until Proven Otherwise

A lot of noise has occurred during the college football season, but one item stands as the loudest

During the course of any season, there are many “statements” that are made, and college football isn’t any different. Texas going on the road to defeat Alabama is one. Oklahoma beating the aforementioned Longhorns in the Red River Rivalry is another. The latest statement wins came when Washington outlasted Oregon in a Pac-12 showcase, and one can bet Ohio State defeating Penn State will qualify as such noise from the Big Ten perspective. Many voices will scream and rant about which team is the best after said statement victory, while others will act as if they’re taking an extra step in their analysis to pick the top team. Through it all, one constant remains, and that is Georgia, the two-time defending national champion and reigning No. 1 rated team, is (and will be until someone knocks them off) the top dog.

It’s no secret how dominant the Bulldogs, and the SEC as a whole, have been recently and in the past two decades. Including Georgia winning the last two versions of the College Football Playoff, the conference has won four in a row (LSU in 2019, Alabama in 2020). Going back to 2003, the SEC has won 14 of the 20 national championships. While the Crimson Tide went through an unprecedented run of dominance since Nick Saban became the head coach before the 2007 season (and remain a threat for titles), the Bulldogs have emerged as a team that can get on a roll similar to that under Kirby Smart, who took over at Georgia in time for the 2016 campaign after being Saban’s long-time defensive coordinator. Their team is constantly loaded with NFL-caliber talent, and it’s to the point where the roster is reloaded instead of rebuilt. The statement wins haven’t been on Georgia’s schedule so far in 2023, but that doesn’t mean they’re any less dangerous.

That’s not to say the Bulldogs come without flaws, and just like anyone else in sports, they can be beaten at any point. Georgia is still first and undefeated, but it’s been far from pretty. They have had slow starts in many of their games, and needed big second halves to stave off challenges from South Carolina and Auburn. The ones who look for the new hot thing would look at these performances as signs of weakness, but the reality is not many champions go through seasons without being tested a time or two. It’s about surviving and advancing, and the Bulldogs have done that for over a year and a half without defeat. Instead of looking at it as a team being far from perfect, how about giving credit to the fact Georgia hasn’t lost a game since Alabama got them in the 2021 SEC Championship Game? Every program dreams of having the consistency the Bulldogs have enjoyed in recent years, and still enjoys up to this point. It’s funny how people want to say they strive for sustainability, but want something to derail the train when it’s happening in their faces.

Now, the question to ask is who can take Georgia down. In the SEC, the Crimson Tide (as usual) seems to be the most logical choice, but could Florida, Ole Miss or Tennessee rise up? Maybe a surprising Missouri squad could get the Bulldogs “between the hedges.” Going outside of the SEC, the Buckeyes were a missed field goal away from defeating Georgia in last season’s CFP semifinal, but questions remain about how good they truly are. Oddsmakers have made Michigan as the favorite to win the title this year, but we’ve seen the Wolverines crumble under the CFP spotlight the last couple of years. Does Oklahoma and/or Texas make some noise from the Big 12? Is this the season the Pac-12 (in their final season of existence) breaks through and win a championship for the first time since USC in 2004? Washington, Oregon and Utah appear to be the biggest threats from that conference. How about Florida State from the ACC? The point is while Georgia reigns over the college football world, it may not be as clear cut as it has been lately.

Understand this is a forum that welcomes multiple perspectives and dialogue. Everyone has opinions, and the reasons for them could take us anywhere. If you’re on the side wanting the Bulldogs to lose, then any reason validating that will dominate the thought process. Georgia fans would obviously disagree with those views, but that’s what makes these debates interesting, at least the non-scripted ones. No matter what side is taken, there’s no debating the fact the Bulldogs are still the team to beat, even if oddsmakers and analysts want to push narratives that say they aren’t. Georgia hasn’t lost in quite a while, and someone has to go through them to see their own title aspirations come true. Until that happens, the Bulldogs still own the yard, like it or not.

Coach Prime and Colorado gets humbled, and so does the media hype

One can only be blinded by the glitz and glamour for so long, and Oregon made that clear Saturday

Before diving into the sound defeat No. 9 (as of the latest Associated Press poll) Oregon gave Colorado (now unranked), it’s time to give disclaimers. The first are about the feelings I have towards Deion Sanders and what he’s doing at Colorado’s program. I actually like what Sanders has brought (and is bringing) to the squad. Let’s remember this is a team that was 1-11 last season. The fact they already have three wins to begin the year shows the Buffaloes are significantly better than they were at any point in 2022. Secondly, this isn’t me necessarily coming to the defense of “Coach Prime” and Colorado, nor is it me trying to pile on after they caught this humbling loss to the Ducks. This is an attempt to bring reality to a situation that went way too far into fantasy world. It’s understood what’s about to be said will probably fall on deaf ears, and many will continue to ignore what’s actually there. Even with knowing that, there’s no denying what happened Saturday, and what to look for as more games are played.

Let’s start with the events on the field, where things really matter in this case. Oregon won 42-6 at Autzen Stadium, in a contest where the score probably could have been worse than it was. Every game tells its own story, and one word explains what happened in this one, domination. The Ducks outgained the Buffaloes 522-199 in total yardage. On defense, the pressure they brought to Sanders’ son, Shedeur, was relentless, sacking the quarterback seven times. There are many more stats that could explain how much of a mismatch this was, but those are the two that stick out. The main point to take out of this game is Colorado has potential to rise to prominence with “Coach Prime” going forward, but understand they have a long way to go before that happens. They will head to the Big 12 after this season, but as they navigate through the Pac-12 in that conference’s final days, don’t be surprised if this is the first of multiple losses looming for the Buffaloes.

That’s the reality, and it’s been there all along, The problem is many weren’t (and never are) willing to look into the details, allowing themselves to be infatuated with the shiny new toys. Colorado is the latest example of the flashy car, and the media did all they could to have everyone blinded by the hype. The hot take machines started this months ago, when ESPN decided the Buffaloes’ spring football game was the only one worthy of being on their main station. The hype train continued to gain steam, and when Colorado defeated TCU (who went to last season’s national championship game) on the road in their first game, it was a forgone conclusion Neon Deion and the Buffs were going to be the hottest topic on everyone’s airwaves. Fox Sports’ Big Noon Kickoff pregame show spent the first three weeks of the season around Colorado, and will be back in Boulder when eighth-ranked USC comes to town Saturday. Of course, ESPN had to bring College GameDay to town, and the network’s other shows, such as First Take and The Pat McAfee Show, were right there with them. Even CBS News’ 60 Minutes came to interview Sanders. With all of the glitz and glamour comes a bullseye, and if anyone was wondering how Oregon head coach Dan Lanning was feeling before and after the contest with Colorado, Lanning left no doubts, with colorful quotes such as “Rooted in substance, not flash, rooted in substance,” among others. It’s a certainty the Ducks won’t be the only team with this attitude. As for the hype and hot take machines, consider them humbled just like the Buffs, at least for the time being.

Now, the question is what happens from here. Yes, the style and lights shining all over the Colorado program says this is a speed bump on the way to a College Football Playoff berth, but realistically, expectations should be far less than that. At the risk of repeating myself, this program is coming off of a 1-11 campaign. It was beyond time to clean house, move furniture, pressure wash the floors and walls, and bring the people with the hazmat suits in. The squad has a new coach, and practically a whole new team, thanks to the transfer portal. For the people who had tunnel vision and only saw the flash, seeing what Oregon did came as a shock. All Oregon did was reinforce the truth, which is the Buffs’ roster isn’t on par with what the Ducks, and other teams in the Pac-12, have in their’s. In other words, this season is all about building a foundation where growth happens, and any sniff of a decent bowl game is looked at as gravy. Winning seven or eight games should be considered a successful season for Colorado. It’s not competing for a conference title, but coming from where they were a year ago, a participation trophy would be in order. This is my way of saying more losses are coming this season, and with each one, the shine will continue to wear off.

In closing, I want to reiterate I’m rooting for Coach Prime, and I wouldn’t mind seeing the dream scenario of the Buffs winning the conference. In reality, middle-of-the-pack is probably where they’ll end up, then it’s on to the Big 12 come 2024. If all of those people who are in the media, or work for the networks as “experts,” were being truthful, they would realize the same. Instead, it’s about what’s hot, and where the most money and eyes can be accumulated. I won’t say Sanders and Colorado are playing for clicks, but they have become the favorites to win that particular battle. The lesson that should be taken from Oregon’s housing of the Buffs is be willing to open the hood of the car to make sure it’s running properly, instead of assuming it does because it looks nice. Hype and glitz only go so far, and substance is what ultimately proves what’s real. Who knows? Colorado might be able to put the Oregon loss behind them, and put themselves in the conference race, but I doubt it. Right now, the players aren’t there to compete with top competition, and that’s okay. The choice we have to make as fans is between doing homework and research, or continuing to let shiny things influence us. I choose to stay optimistic, but realistic. The feeling is I’ll be part of the minority if I ask who’s coming with me.

College sports waits on the choice Notre Dame makes, but why?

Since the summer of 2021, the world of college athletics has been flipped on its head, and the end game is anybody’s guess. It was last summer when name, image and likeness (NIL) became a thing, and the athletic students (oops…I sarcastically mean student athletes) couldn’t wait to finally cash in. The transfer portal, like NIL, became a point of contention for coaches and athletic directors alike, but it would be fair to question if it’s because the power has been taken out of their hands due to the new age of player empowerment. By the way, Texas and Oklahoma announced intentions to move from the Big 12 to the SEC in due time, making an already-dominant conference even stronger. The Big Ten, in an attempt to keep up, is adding USC and UCLA (out of all teams) from the Pac-12 soon, and the rest of the teams from that conference are apparently up for grabs. With the NCAA becoming increasingly obsolete as a governing body with each passing day, everyone is waiting to see what happens next, and the chess piece being watched the most is Notre Dame. Excuse me if I missed something, but I’m not understanding why the Fighting Irish are looked at as a needle-mover.

With the last sentence, this isn’t me trying to deny what Notre Dame has been in the historical sense. There is a lot of prestige that comes with the brand, and the fact they are an independent entity adds to it. What the program is at this current time is overhyped and outdated if we are to look at football, which is the sport driving all of the realignment. The Fighting Irish haven’t won a national championship since 1988, and any time they come close to breaking through, they got smashed by a squad with superior talent. The truth might hurt Notre Dame fans, but the golden dome has been gradually tarnished over the three decades that has followed their last claim to glory. While football is the premier sport leading to changes, it’s not a secret the money train is what everyone is following. We’re far removed from the early-90s, and just like the elite programs in football, the money trail has left the Fighting Irish behind.

Back in the day, Notre Dame was the team everyone wanted to watch. They were actually good in football, and because of the independent label, NBC thought enough of them to have a contract in place to air their home games in 1991. At that time, network television was the only way to catch games on Saturdays. ABC would have the occasional nationally televised game, but in most cases, it was regional programming. CBS had a period where they weren’t even broadcasting college football, and ESPN (ABC’s cable sister) was still relatively young in the broadcasting game. All of that combined to make the Fighting Irish beyond marketable. The millions of dollars also stayed with the university because of the aforementioned independence. If Notre Dame was in a conference, all of the money from the contract with NBC would have to be equally distributed through all of the teams within the league. So back then, this deal was a ground-breaker, and it’s also why the Fighting Irish would continue to stay independent in football, while joining the ACC in all other sports.

Fast forward to current times, and things are drastically different. Streaming services are everywhere we turn, making college football games as accessible as ever. Just about every conference has some sort of a network that brings in boatloads of money, hand over fist, and the notoriety that came with being independent is almost all gone. By being an ACC member in all sports except football, it’s not like Notre Dame is not aware of this. The school is just trying to have all of the spoils they can get, but not being a winner on the football field is also a major problem. The Fighting Irish, in this regard, are no different from Texas, USC and Miami (“The U”), schools who are trying to live off of their history, but are struggling to capture the magic from back then. Mix all of this up, and Notre Dame is not the power player many in the media world and Fighting Irish fan base seem to think.

With that said, Notre Dame watch continues for most, and it will be a huge story when a decision about their independent football status is made, but why that is baffles me. If recent history is a clue, then it’s the ACC the Fighting Irish might join. Geographically (and perhaps for more sustainability) the Big Ten could look more appealing. Independency is always an option as well, but again, we’re not living in 1991. If you ask me, Notre Dame is yesterday’s news, and Lou Holtz isn’t coming through to save Touchdown Jesus anytime soon. The elite football and money train has left the station. The choices are either the Fighting Irish catch up, or continue to fall further into irrelevancy. Where does this domino fall? The world waits, while I sleep.