The College Football Playoffs, the CFP, are set for the opening round of games. The CFP for D1 NCAA Football is still for the mighty teams not all the teams. Nick Saban and Alabama did not make the elite four for the first time since 2020. The Tide has been in the CFP seven times in the nine seasons the playoff has existed. The NCAA and the Bowl organizers have struggled to design an equitable solution to crown a true champion. D3 football figured it out decades ago. They are rolling though their playoffs now with 16 teams at the starting line. FCS football has hosted a playoff with 12 teams for decades. It does seem that North Dakota State always wins. The Big Boys of CFP can only figure out how to have the top 4 get to play and there is always controversy.
This year Michigan and Georgia are undefeated and the best in the land. It gets a little murky from there. Saban has been Saban rattling that his team would be favored in any game and gosh darn it, we should be in the CFP. Sonny Dykes almost gambled the TCU Horned Frogs chances for the CFP by going for it on 4th and goal in the Big 12 Championship OT and failing. Sonny Dykes does sound like a gambler but that was stupid move when an FG keeps you in the game. The committee slipped TCU into the dance despite Sonny’s dopey coaching and much to the chagrin of Little Nicky. USC Nation had hoped to see the Trojans leapfrog into the discussion. The Pac-12 hoped for them to make it as well. The Ute Nation had a different agenda and pounded the Trojans and King Caleb into submission. Troy fell into the Cotton Bowl against Tulane. Caleb should win the Heisman but not a championship. Ohio State snuck into the CFP after getting smashed in the mouth at home by the Wolverines. It was Michigan first win at the Horseshoe since 2001. Harbaugh seems to have figured out the next level. This might be their year, but the Bulldogs are having another year of the way and their truth. Georgia has been the favorite since August, and nothing has changed.
The 40-year anniversary of Instant Replay first used during a college football game was on December 7, 1963. It was used during the broadcast of the Army Navy game that year. Roger Staubach led the undefeated Midshipmen into the game days after being awarded the Heisman trophy. Navy was ranked #2 and Army had but two losses at kickoff before 100,000 at the old Municipal Stadium later renamed JFK. The game had been delayed several weeks because President Kennedy had been assassinated on November 22, 1963. The game helped the nation heal from the tragic killing of JFK. Instant replay was the icing on the broadcast cake. Staubach was exciting to watch and looking at his spectacular plays over and over was exciting for the TV audience. Flash forward to 2022, Army and Navy are playing this weekend in Philadelphia. The total for the Army Navy game has gone to the under for 16 straight years. There is report that if someone invested $110 in 2006 to the under and rolled the winnings over it would be worth $3.4 million today. Of course, that would mean in 2020 this person would roll over $850K to the under followed by $1.7 million in 2021. Those are some serious cajones to make those last two bets. The Yard gets sphincter stress with a $25 parlay. With Over Under at 32.5, Instant Replay probably will not be as exercised Saturday as much as it was in 1963.
There was some history this week. The UCLA Women’s Soccer team won their second NCAA title in school history. It was the Bruins 120th NCAA title across all sports trailing only Stanford and ahead of USC. The Lady Bruins trailed 2-0 when they finally scored in the 80th minute. They scored again to tie the game with sixteen seconds left in regulation. They outlasted the legendary NC women in two overtimes to win 3-2. NC has won ten women’s soccer titles with their HOF coach Karen Shelton’s 42 years. At the same time, Andrew of the Yard’s school the University of Chicago won their first NCAA D3 Soccer title. It was solid 2-0 for the Maroons over the Williams College Ephs. The Ephs had been the Cinderella story of the D3 tournament until Chicago struck their midnight. The real story is Maroon head coach Julianne Sitch. She became the first woman to coach an NCAA Men’s Champion in any sport. Congrats to coach Sitch and the Maroons.
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