Posted on 01/01/2022 4:41:50 AM PST by Cecily
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – After the game clock had finally ticked down to double zeroes Friday night at Hard Rock Stadium and Georgia’s 34-11 win over Michigan was official, Kirby Smart’s players sought to give him a Gatorade bath.
The Bulldogs’ coach was having none of it. He avoided the dunk and scolded those that tried to give it to him.
“I was wanting a real shower and not a Gatorade bath,” Smart explained after the College Football Playoff semifinal victory. “Because I want to get focused on Alabama. They have a five- or six-hour head start. To be honest, I’m not interested in celebrating that. We’ll look back on that win, and that’ll be great. But we’re focused on the task ahead.”
That’d be another matchup with Alabama (13-1) in the national championship. The No. 1-ranked Crimson Tide defeated No. 4 Cincinnati 27-6 on Friday afternoon in the Cotton Bowl in Arlington, Texas.
(Excerpt) Read more at ajc.com ...
I noticed the same thing at an Alabama game. The size of their players arms looked like 25-30 year old pros compared to the skinner arms of the student athletes they were playing.
It's like they have some kind of racket to get older players that still have NCAA eligibility.
Notre Dame, Ohio State, Baylor, Ole Miss possibly even Oklahoma State or Utah. This is an Alabama team that lost to an 8-4 A&M, almost lost to Auburn and Florida.
They aren’t and that’s my point.
I’ve been to a lot of college football games and only a few NFL games. The first thing I noticed at an NFL game was how big the players were compared to your average college players. The NFL field actually looked smaller to me. But Georgia and Bama are just massive on the lines. GA #99 in particular. LOL.
Saban needs to retire for the good of the game
He’s just not GOAT but there’s not even a close second
So everyone else doesn’t look as bad?!?!
Yeah - that‘s the ticket 😆
An expanded playoff plus a group of five final four they will have their token one team in a 12 team playoff and in certain years. maybe maybe two
Well let the big boys play for the national championship And a group of five playoff would add three extra games to the TV inventory and heighten fan interest
You do know most of the SEC was beaten in bowls this year. They were very top heavy. They lost to a few non power 5 teams.
So its more competitive
Hes just too good CBB took off once GOAT John Wooden retired.
Cincinnati handled ND easily. Ohio State lost to Oregon in the Shoe and was routed by Michigan, which got destroyed by Georgia. Baylor lost to TCU and Oklahoma State.
Utah might have been the best of the group given its impressive performance at the end of the year, especially its defense. Still Utah lost to BYU and San Diego State.
The top of the SEC remains the cream of the crop despite not doing so well in the bowl games so far. Alabama and Georgia are clearly the two best teams in the country. It should be a great final. I like Georgia to get revenge. They will be sky high emotionally. A team on a mission and Alabama won’t have its top receiver.
Michigan’s big mistake was ditching yellow pants for such a big game.
Eliminating the best, does Not miraculously make everyone else down the line better.
Working, and striving to become the best, does.
I think Georgia will beat Bama.
The other times Bama lost in the regular season or SECCG to either LSU or Georgia, they won the Championship Game. And I think Georgia will play with a huge chip on their shoulder.
Cincinnati is now in a Power 5 conference, they are moving to the Big 12. Even though now I question if they should be considered a Power 5 Conference with OU and Texas leaving.
This is sports, a zero sum game. Dynasties are bad for sports and especially now because fans have other options
The pressure on the final four to expand came mostly from having the same teams year after year.
To repeat, he’s just too good. And it’s not good for the game
“Big 10 are miles behind the S.E.C.”
Guess it doesn’t matter now, but Michigan was ranked ahead of Georgia?!
Not bored ever.
RTR
RLTW
It’s also time for Michigan to move on from a coach who thinks
he’s Bo Schembeckler.
Lol.
I have tried. Shakes head, and moves on.
I am a huge Big 10 fan, especially BOTH OSU and Michigan. (I grew up in Columbus, raised four children in Ann Arbor.)
Georgia and Alabama deserve all props, and Texas A&M is on the ascent. I have no quarrel with how this is turning out, but the Big 10 needs to change the game. Alabama and Georgia have a momentum that is essentially self-fulfilling.
The Big 10, though, is less top-heavy, better and more competitive looking at the conference as a whole, and with much more athletic department money and much bigger markets. Their head coaches are actually quite good more or less end to end and are in stable relationships. They are paying big bucks to get good coaches, including assistants.
Meanwhile, football talent coming out of high school has improved consistently year over year, cumulatively quite a lot, and the Big 10 more than any other conference has benefitted from a rising tide lifting all boats.
There are more factors long term favoring the Big 10. They just need to take full advantage. They should:
1. Continue to aspire to have the national champion via the 4-team playoff, but really prioritize intra-conference play and the conference championship, take 100% ownership of all post-season play, put great emphasis on the integrity and stability of their football programs, and issue a joint statement from 10 HCs, 10 ADs and 10 University Presidents saying that all are staying in the NCAA but that the NCAA can go jump in the lake. In general, take ownership, seize control, stiff arm the NCAA and SEC-biased sportswriting establishment and control the overall narrative.
2. Re: Player recruitment, better leverage the fact that they are great universities both academically and in terms of developing players for the NFL. On the latter, do better along many more margins. There are huge opportunities.
3. Invite North Carolina, Georgia Tech, Pitt, and Miami to join the Big 10. These are good fits academically, culturally etc and take over four more of America’s largest media markets, two in the heart of the SEC. It’s all about the Benjies.
4. Really, really win the whole NIL thing. Figure it out and get it done.
5. Better promote other conferences as counterweights to the SEC. As one example, the premier bowl game outside of the CFP should go back to the Big 10 v Pac 12 in the Rose Bowl, and the two conferences should wrest all ownership and control of that venue from the NCAA. All Big 10 University presidents should just tell the wicked and pathetic NCAA to go pound sand, they should partner with the PAC 12 in doing so, and deals like this should be the platform for displacing the NCAA knuckleheads in favor of ADs and University Presidents. As a quid pro quo, the Big 10 should tell the Pac 12 to put lots more money and competence behind their football programs.
I could go on, but I think I’ve made my point. College football is both a mess currently and a likely very different animal in five years. The Big 10 is well positioned to get out in front of this and come out dominant in 2027, and not just in football but in all sports.
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