Well. Next season is right around the corner. Here's hoping I don't have to watch a hollow national title game again.
The good news is, the odds are (relatively) in our favor.
Initial national championship odds for next season, per @BovadaOfficial:
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) January 11, 2022
Alabama +350
Georgia +400
Ohio State +400
Clemson +750
Michigan +750
Texas A&M +950
Everyone else at +2000 or higher.
Word of the Day: Forswear.
SEC OUT? After we just watched the second All-SEC College Football Playoff title game in eight seasons, it would seem that the SEC is prepared to flex its muscles in a different way – by simply rage-quitting playoff expansion talks.
Sankey and many others are baffled by an obvious truth: The conferences that need expansion the most and strongly encouraged it three years ago are the ones either on the fence or flatly voting against the current proposal.
“We don’t need this,” Sankey said on expansion, a wave of his arm.
The SEC has qualified at least one team in 15 of the last 16 title bouts, has won 12 of those and has sent 18 teams to the last 16 championship games. In fact, a few blocks from the site of Monday’s meetings, two SEC teams, Georgia and Alabama, meet for the championship—the third time in 11 years that’s happened.
...
Sankey says the SEC’s willingness to take part in expansion talks and to support an expansion model is an “enormous give” for a conference that doesn’t need it. He strongly suggested that the SEC might not be as willing to take part in future negotiations. His presidential representation hinted at the same.
CFP Board of Managers Chairman Mark Keenum, president of Mississippi State, left open the possibility of maintaining a four-team playoff even after the current contract ends “if these issues aren’t resolved,” he said.
“Do we have an expansion or do we keep the status quo?” he asked. “The status quo has worked pretty well for the Southeastern Conference.”
Honestly, I want to be mad and snarky here, but I get it. Because frankly, the status quo works pretty damn well for Ohio State, too. As it stands, as long as the Buckeyes lose fewer than two games in the regular season, they can go ahead and punch their ticket to the playoff.
I don't *love* that the SEC seems to have this much power here, but maybe the whole "get your shit together or we're done working with you" stance is exactly what everyone else needs to hear.
Or... this is just going to continue to be a disaster. Who's to say, really? Time will tell!
SAY IT AIN'T SO, JAMO. Besides passively rooting for Georgia to threaten Nick Saban's reign of terror, I tuned into last night's game to watch Ohio State's fourth-best receiver ball out.
Unfortunately, I didn't get much of a chance because he suffered a game-ending knee injury in the first half (while making a 40-yard catch, of course).
And if you weren't sure his former team still supported him...
— Brian Hartline (@brianhartline) January 11, 2022
Brian Hartline is almost certainly the best wide receivers coach in the country from a technical and an Xs and Os standpoint. But more than that, he approaches the job like he's just an extremely good dad. And I have infinite amounts of respect for that.
THE TERRY MCLAURIN AWARD. This is going to absolutely shock you, but Terry McLaurin has been awarded the Washington Media Good Guy award for the second-straight year for his "thoughtful" and "excellent" answers to questions.
Just told Terry McLaurin that, for the second year in a row, we presented him with the Washington Media Good Guy award winner. Goes to player who helps the media most do its job... Always thoughtful on every topic; excellent answers. True pro.
— John Keim (@john_keim) January 10, 2022
You may as well just go ahead and rename the award after him. He's going to be collecting it every year.
THEY'RE HERE. I'm pleased to inform you all that reinforcements have arrived: Ohio State's fresh crop of mid-year enrollees is officially on campus and began their first day of class and first day at the facilities yesterday.
first day for the newest Buckeyes #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/AwvGUrkhxO
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) January 10, 2022
Most of these fresh faces are part of the 2022 freshmen class but transfers DeaMonte Trayanum and Tanner McCalister have arrived, as well.
Folks, I've got a feeling that the Buckeyes just got better.
SONG OF THE DAY. "Feeling This" by blink-182.
NOT STICKING TO SPORTS. The dirty work of cleaning online reputations... Taco Bell is selling a $10 monthly taco subscription... The con artist who sold rich investors a fake country... The forgotten medieval habit of two sleeps... Kim Jong-Un's father invented burritos in 2011, North Korea says in a bizarre claim... The Playboy mansion party poodle got addicted to cocaine...
