Tag: Nick Saban

Pregame talk sets stage for Oregon’s beatdown of Oklahoma State

The result on the field speaks louder to the ever-changing landscape of college sports.

There are cases where people say “the more things change, the more they stay the same.” That in and of itself sounds contradictory, but there are a few items that stay consistent through all of the additions and subtractions. In other cases, if an individual isn’t willing to evolve with the times, they will get left behind, and eventually, become obsolete. Just like many things in life, college sports (football specifically) is an example of this, and there was a game that directly speaks to a case where one team is moving with the times, while the other is stuck in the 2010s. The contest (if anyone wants to call it that) under the spotlight was between Oklahoma State and Oregon, played last Saturday afternoon in the Pacific Northwest.

The Ducks demolished the Cowboys 69-3, and even with that score, the game might not have been that close. Not many should be surprised at the result, as Oregon is a national title contender ranked fourth in the country, while Oklahoma State is careening off a cliff to uncertain times. What sparked more conversation than the actual game were pregame comments made by Cowboys head coach Mike Gundy, in regard to how much money Oregon has spent to assemble their roster. Gundy made reference to his program spending “around $7 million over the last three years,” and Oregon spending “close to $40 (million) last year alone.” Apparently, the Ducks took those comments as a shot at their coach, Dan Lanning, and they were ready to administer a blasting of epic proportions.

After a little analysis, it’s logical to believe Gundy’s comments added fuel to the Ducks’ fire, but listening to what he said points to something much bigger than just this game. As mentioned earlier, college sports is evolving at a daily rate, and the items leading constant change are name, image and likeness (NIL), and the transfer portal. Once NIL kicked in during the summer of 2021, the college sports landscape went through (and is still absorbing) a seismic shift. Now, the players are allowed to build income through third parties, and the evolution has reached the point where athletes can negotiate NIL deals with the university itself (House settlement). Combine this with the transfer portal, where players can essentially enter a glorified free agent pool, and the influence head coaches have on a program isn’t nearly as large as it once was. In other words, the days of amateurism can be declared a distant memory.

This brings us back to Gundy and his program at Oklahoma State. While there is still a lot to be said about the recruitment of high school athletes, NIL and the transfer portal is here to stay, and if a coach can’t evolve with the times (just like anything else in life), he or she will drift into irrelevancy. Money will have to be spent if a school wants to stay competitive, and this is something Lanning and Oregon clearly understands. Even with the money that’s spent, it’s the coach’s responsibility to have the team ready to play week after week, and there have been performances in the last couple of years where one could wonder if Gundy has lost touch with the current athlete. Sure, the Ducks have the better team, but the Cowboys came in uninspired and lethargic, basically defeated before the game even kicked off. When Gundy made those comments (and try to clarify after the fact), they sounded more like built-in excuses for the ensuing beatdown.

From the outside looking in, it appears the time for Gundy to step down from his position is overdue. The stubbornness to stick with tools that worked in 2015 is showing they won’t work in 2025 and beyond. The head coach doesn’t have all of the power anymore, and there’s a need to understand players could potentially make as much money as they do. It’s no coincidence Nick Saban, who apparently didn’t want much to do with the changing dynamics, decided to retire from Alabama after the 2023 season. For Gundy, there’s two choices to pick from. Either move aside for someone with a fresher mind, or get with the evolution. If his answer is the former, housings like the one Oklahoma State received from Oregon will become the norm, and the choice for Gundy to stay will be made for him.

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.