We love ourselves some friendly bets.
Not that I care who wins between Penn State and Ohio State, but @Colts PR director Matt Conti certainly did. He's a Nittany Lion, BTW. That would be the game worn jersey of Parris Campbell. @ColtsConti pic.twitter.com/raOMOnpARP
— Greg Rakestraw (@gregrakestraw) November 2, 2021
I don't know why folks continue to make these against Ohio State, but I'm glad they do.
Word of the Day: Verboten.
SORRY, CINCINNATI. Yesterday's College Football Playoff rankings went quite well for the Buckeyes, who are ranked No. 5 in the country with basically no explanation as to why besides "their offense is very good," (which, fair). But things are not so rosy for Luke Fickell and the Cincinnati Bearcats.
Despite an undefeated record and a road win over a top-10 opponent, Cincinnati is No. 6 with more than half the teams in front of it already having a loss. That's not great news for the 'ole playoff hopes, because that resume ain't exactly getting better, and it's clear that the committee doesn't give the slightest shit about Group of Five teams (undefeated UTSA isn't even ranked???)
This should have been expected – the only consistent thing about this damn committee is that it loves to absolutely bone non-Power Five teams – but they're just getting so brazen about it. They aren't even trying to hide it anymore.
Barta on Cincy: "The committee has great respect for Cincinnati ... who else (besides ND) did they beat?"
— Griffin Strom (@GriffinStrom3) November 2, 2021
Committee: “Play tough out of conference games if you want to get in!”
Cincinnati: *beats top-10 team on the road*
CFP Committee: “What? That’s it?"
Meanwhile, Alabama is ranked No. 2 with no explanation as to why besides "there was a consensus" and Ohio State's up at No. 5 with a loss and one ugly win against a Minnesota team that's (somehow?) ranked No. 20. I mean, I'll take it, but damn. I thought they'd at least make Ohio State earn its respect – which I fully expect them to.
On the broadcast, Kirk Herbstreit gave a very thoughtful and reasonable path for Cincinnati to still make the playoff (Georgia beats Alabama and both Ohio State and Michigan State play each other) but here's the thing – what has this committee done in seven years that would give you even the slightest indication that it would choose Cincinnati over literally any one-loss Power Five team, or even a two-loss Alabama or Ohio State, for that matter?
I guess at the end of the day, Cincinnati should have simply tried losing to Stanford instead of going undefeated. It seems like that would have done the trick.
“I ANSWERED THAT THE BEST WAY POSSIBLE.” I've learned that one of the most dangerous things you can possibly ask a head coach after a game is about the officiating.
But Ryan Day handled this one like a champ. Granted, the three-day cool-off period and the fact that Ohio State won the game probably helped keep this response a bit more measured.
I love that subtle grin throughout the response.
"We always will look at the film afterwards and if there are things that were concerning we send it to the office for review and then some feedback. And we did that," Day said. "You know, listen, the refs have a tough job. They hear it from all angles and I get it. But certainly, we have to advocate for our guys, and when we see something that doesn't quite look right, we have to make sure we recognize that and do that in certain ways, but also be respectful and be professional. But certainly, there were some things we did turn in, yes."
"I answered that the best way possible," Day concluded with an uncomfortable laugh.
To be honest, there's not a whole lot that can be done about an official neglecting to call holding when the center tackles your team's free-running linebacker from behind, and I'd be lying if I told you I expected any sort of improvement in the coming weeks. But I hope this process was at least cathartic for Day.
B1G'S BEST. PSA to Big Ten secondaries: probably refrain from playing Chris Olave in man coverage.
Chris Olave: 4 receiving touchdowns against man coverage this season
— PFF College (@PFF_College) November 2, 2021
Most among Big Ten WRs pic.twitter.com/4xWqlFYU3W
And maybe try to cover him better downfield?
Does it get any better in the Big Ten than Chris Olave pic.twitter.com/7DqUVbd1yM
— PFF College (@PFF_College) November 3, 2021
To me, it often feels like he's underutilized in the offense (anything less than 100 yards per game would feel that way, to be fair), but apparently, he's still doing enough to put up these numbers, so I guess everything's fine.
At the end of the day, there's only one ball, right?
“AND THAT'S HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER.” Speaking of excellent receivers...
I expected her to crack it open and immediately pound it, but somehow that was even better.
SONG OF THE DAY. "Bonfire" by Childish Gambino.
NOT STICKING TO SPORTS. The post-human dog... How a drifter from Milwaukee became the chief executioner of the Cuban Revolution... Why California's illicit weed market is still thriving despite legalization... A contrarian account of our prehistory argues that cities once flourished without rulers and rules and still could... The excruciating struggle to break Colt Brennan’s endless cycle of addiction... Dishwashers are actually bad...
