I always thought Georgia should be in the final 4. FSU is getting crushed.
Whuppin’
Might change the Mich Alabama line a bit
I forgot
GO BLUE!
You do realize that 28 of FSU players opted out of the game? of which 14 of them were starters.
Some players just can’t get over the fact that they were snubbed.
I wouldn’t want to play for FSU if that’s the way players think. I’d look at playing Georgia as a great opportunity to show the NFL scouts I can play with them. Georgia had a right to complain but they didn’t. They dropped a lot losing to the new number 1.
Next year will be better with 12 teams.
I remember a Bowl game that the Cougars went to and the other team players were upset with their bowl selection and played like it.
Crap happens, and with the Bowl Championship selection process, teams routinely get screwed over. Well unless you are in the SEC or BIG10 that is.
Didn’t know that about 14 starters out.
Unfortunately, this will become the typical, only the 12 team playoff games will have near full participation (at least for awhile? and maybe first round games the favored team will have some opt-out/hold out for next round?) Other bowls will be even more irrelevant than now and will be mostly for revenue and practice for the next year.
I understand the thinking why these guys opt out. They don’t want to get injured and risk their future pro status. My take on it is that college players are now professional in essence with NIL money and they can transfer at will but there are no consequences for sitting out games when they are healthy enough to play. Why can’t a healthy NFL player opt of a meaningless game? I don’t know how NIL works. Do players have to sign a contract to get the money? If not they should and part of the contract should stipulate they play when healthy. Right now the kids hold all the cards. Some people used to beat their chests about the poor exploited kid jocks even though they held full scholarships. Ok now they get bucks but can opt out of bowl games. I have no sympathy for them whatsoever. A lot of them aren’t anything more than token students. College football has become a joke.
These kids often are like petulant children. If they aren’t utilized the way they think they should be they just quit in mid season like Holker did. He should have finished the season and then entered the portal. He was playing and getting touches but he didn’t have star status he thought he deserved. Fine just finish the season and then leave. He probably should have been utilized more but to quit in mid season is bad form.
Being a coach in this day and age has to be real tough. You can’t count on any of these children for even one season. NIL and the portal are here to stay but they need serious tweaking. It is ridiculous for 18-21 year old kids to hold scholarships and get big NIL bucks to be able to opt out of bowl games. I had no idea Florida State had 28 players sit out. I knew a lot of guys didn’t play but had no idea it was that many. They got the shaft. They should have been in the playoff based on their record but all those guys not playing didn’t do FSU any favors. It just confirmed to most people they were rightfully excluded.
In so many cases, a player feels like he deserves more playing time or touches and in most cases, they think too highly of themselves. Fun stat: 49 % of all transfers, who were full ride players, end up without a scholarship!
In the case of Holker , it turned out to be the right thing to transfer to CSU. 64 receptions, 12 ypc.
Dallin Holker - Colorado State Rams Tight End - ESPN
BYU’s Issac Rex, had 34 rec, 12.8 ypc.
Isaac Rex - BYU Cougars Tight End - ESPN
Holker was buried behind a TE that was going to get most of the touches, in a system that underutilizes the TE. Now he has declared for the NFL, would never happen at BYU. I think Rex is back for 24.
We all went to college to improve our future. Having said that, the NIL system is broken but I see a silver lining. Many colleges are getting burnt, cooked by offering the sky to players only to see them go to the next bidder. Everyone from players to colleges will take a big breath before pulling the trigger based on the big plunders we have seen these past two years.
One more observation: It takes time to build a team that TRUSTS one another. BYU has failed miserably by bringing in one and done players, specifically QBs and Point Guards. Never works. Our QBs, that excel, have been in our system for 3 years on the average before they are “the man”. Pope figured it out the hard way, he lost his import, Ques Glover, who by the way, has not played due to injury. What a blessing!!! Pope’s team is run by a group of guys who have been together for at least 2 years supplemented with Baker and Khalifa (who are also team players and understand their role in a Pope system) Sitake has to understand the blue print.
Lastly, FSU did NOT get the invite because their starter QB was injured. In the past, the committee has penalized teams with this same injury. FSU was pathetic in its last to wins and Georgia exposed them. If anything Ga was the victim of the Committee. Did not lose for 27 straight games and only on a last second play. You cannot argue with the 4 selections given the scenario the committee was delt.
Go Washington.
Great post since you are posting my statements. Of course you do a much better job. Glad to see this go to more colleges in the fight next year. There will still be questions about #13.
FSU was pathetic and my point was that they were pathetic because guys who are getting paid now to play decided not to play because they could do so without consequence. In my opinion if you are getting paid you play unless the coach sits you. If you don’t want to play a game you are physically able to play then don’t take the money.
I understand that FSU was not one of the top 4 teams with their QB out but based on being undefeated and a p5 champ I get why a lot of people were peeved. Georgia may still be the best team in the country except for Michigan but they lost the big one at the end.
Holker made the right move for himself to leave but his timing was poor. I think that the portal should be open in the off season. Once the season starts you should be stuck for that season including bowl games. The way it works now is too disruptive to teams.
I think if you are paid nil money you play period. That is what you are paid for.
1 Like
I totally agree with you!
I am all for Michigan regardless of the little scandal. They beat Alabama so all is forgiven. Can’t root for any PAC 12 team.
I will say Penix is one of the better college QBs I have ever seen. He should have won the Heisman. His pocket presence is amazing, he feels the rush and always makes the move to avoid the sack. He sees the field, makes the right reads, can make all the throws, and has the wheels to make plays with his feet but rarely has to because he can avoid the rush and find the open man. He is amazing. Michigan has an amazing defense but they will be tested by Penix. They didn’t face anybody like him this year. They were able to control Milroe who is Uber athletic but he doesn’t have anywhere near the polish of Penix. Texas didn’t sack Penix one time and they had a very good front that could get sacks. Michigan got 6 or 7 sacks on Milroe but I doubt they will get to
Penix that much. Texas had problems defending the pass all season when they couldn’t pressure passers so maybe their secondary didn’t cover well and made Penix look better than he is but I don’t think so.
The Michigan D is great against the run and pass. They were the best overall D in the country and they will need to be the best against Washington. Michigan moved the ball pretty well against Alabama and Ohio State when they had to. The Washington D isn’t in the same class as those two. It looks like the best D against the best O.
Aro,
appreciate the insight on the strengths of each team. Hard for me to pick which team as I grew up in Washington so a Husky fan, but lived in Ann Arbor about 5 years and retired from there. Half the Ward, it seemed, was employed by UofM and the other half worked for Ford (maybe not quite, but close!)… The street signs in the area were Michigan blue with maize color lettering, so everything was about the college. It was a fun environment.
Jim Harbaugh gave the commencement speech at daughter’s High School graduation and was very impressive, I’m a fan. and hate the team down south (the one in Columbus, not Provo!) And as you pointed out they took out Alabama/SEC so, so happy. Probably will root harder for Michigan, but can’t lose either way.
agreed. great write up on Penix and plus/minus of both Michigan and Washington.
I also like Mich. Pmac, but think Pemix is the best QB and was robbed of the Heisman Reed
fun fact:
Washington
The word “Washington” has its roots in Old English and dates back to the Anglo-Saxon period. [It is derived from the words “wassing” and “tun,” which respectively mean “estate” and “settlement.” The name was originally used to describe a settlement or farm that belonged to a man named Wassa or Wassing.
Michigan
The name “Michigan” is derived from the Ojibwe word “mishigamaa,” which means “large water” or “large lake” 1234. The name was originally used to describe the lake that is now known as Lake Michigan, which is the second-largest of the Great Lakes in North America
Harbaugh is an impressive guy and somebody you want to root for. I hope his hands are clean on the spying thing. Probably not and it’s unfortunate. His players seem to love him and outwardly he comes off as a devout Christian. We need need more high profile people who are devout Christians.
I absolutely love that Harbaugh refused to back down to the NCAA and Big 10 (which was surely acting on orders from the NCAA), gave them both a double middle finger, took his suspension, won out and has caused the NCAA its worst possible scenario: winning a Natty.
Every team in every sport steals signs. So sophomoric of the self-righteous NCAA to even go there. You got schools literally offering millions to other teams to steal their QB and the NCAA has the time to worry about some low level “video spying”? It just makes me chuckle.
I remember a few years ago the big scandal over the Houston Astros stealing signs. I used to read a lot of the history of old time baseball and it was expected that the other team would try to steal your signs. It was considered a part of the game. It was also quite an art form to see how creative a team could get. I was shocked that it caused such a stir.
I was surprised that the Michigan thing caused such an uproar. I remember not caring too much thinking this is something that must not be that uncommon.
UTEP supposedly got BYUs plays in 85 when they pulled off one of the biggest upsets in football history with BYU a 40 point Vegas favorite. Some BYU people still heartburn over that. If you are a top ten team and playing a team that was one of the worst college teams ever, and they beat you. something is seriously wrong with team’s mental state and the coaching, for that particular game, whether they’ve got your plays or not.
I became a Michigan fan largely because of Harbaugh. I don’t like Ohio St and Alabama and haven’t for years. Since Harbaugh has knocked them both off I am an even bigger fan. I am glad to see a championship game with no SEC team in it.
twinseees.
for me, any win over a SEC team is a win for sports. They have ruined football. The PAC 12 was killed over team raiding (not that I have any love for the P12 and their elitist attitude). BYU was a natural fit and yet they used their progressive crap to pound BYU’s religious views. The Big 12 also passed on BYU as a girlfriend until they got dumped on by the SEC, then this girlfriend started looking pretty darn good. The Pac 12’s arrogance ultimately killed an 108 year old conference.
Like the history lesson on Washington and Michigan
Washington was a great place to grow up but no way I would live there now.
Friends are moving out as can’t take the far left mentality and dominance.