Football Thoughts - week 18
 

So Bama finishes the year ranked #1.......yawn...........

I can't say college football is boring. But I can't say there is any suspense to it. As far as the national title is concerned, that is. It's not just that the Tide won again. It's the fact you look @ the waaaayy too early preseason rankings and what do you see? Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State. This doesn't affect me in other sports. Cause I know things will be settled on the field/court/diamond etc. A team can earn their way to the top.

But I know that's not the case in college football. I can sit right here & tell you right now the above 3, Oklahoma, USC, & Notre Dame do not have to worry about a loss taking them out of national title consideration. Heck, if they "lose good" @ the right time, they might be able to endure 2. They have that advantage right out of the gate. A select few. But I can also tell you right now out of the gate there @ least 90, if not more, schools who will have little to no shot of making the final 4 even if they win each game they play. There are no Cinderella stories in NCAA football. No Hoosier seasons. No "Do you believe in miracles?" calls in the future.

It's like the majority of college football lives on the wrong sides of the tracks. On one side, you have the kids born w/silver spoons. They go to private schools whose worth is based on reputation & exclusivity more than anything else. Daddy went to the Ivy university his daddy went to. He has daddy's fraternity connections at his disposal. He doesn't have to finish @ the top of his class, worry about the bills for his education, fret about getting his foot into the door. Dad calls in a favor from a frat brother and sets the son up as junior executive. Not saying the kid is lazy. But he has gotten sidetracked from time to time.

Meanwhile, the kid on the other side has to be self motivated. He soaks in every bit of schooling he can get. Daddy can offer nothing but encouragement. Kid becomes valedictorian. The only reason why he doesn't get a perfect SAT is because his public school didn't have the resources to teach him everything covered on the test. So he goes to community college to learn what he wasn't taught. Gets into grad school. Works a job to get himself up both levels. Makes the dean's list. Joins a corporation and starts from the bottom.

And now the 2 are up for the same position. Who gets the promotion? College football doesn't pick the kid that excels every time out. They reason his education wasn't strenuous enough. He doesn't have the right stock. The other one they assumed must be qualified because he came from supposedly the tougher school. Any blips in his record are excused as minor, the fallacies of youth.

For some reason, people in college football are more into rewarding those born into success and unmoved by the ones who achieved success.

I'm not saying the Bamas, OSUs & Clemsons have done anything wrong. They are doing what they are supposed to do. It is much like the complaint people had last spring about the Warriors & Cavs. You can't help it if all the talent wants to join you. Their job is to do all they can to win. But the NBA offers a reward if the have-nots step their game up. College football offers no hope. Thus, no suspense..........


.........Do you have any idea how frustrating it was for me to see a WR the Panthers cut before the season drop a sure TD in the end zone, then see the Saints burn the Panther secondary w/a WR the Panthers cut last season? That first 6 on Sunday wasn't given up by the defense. It was given up by the Panther front office.........


.......With no certainty about ownership or their GM, I have no idea how the offseason will go for Carolina. But Rivera firing Mike Shula was a good start. I roll my eyes at the reason Rivera gave, but I don't need the means to justify the ends. What makes it ironic is that Shula may have called his best game of the season Sunday. SMH...........


.......I'm hoping this signals a change for Rivera. He's a "stay the course" coach, which I hate. Case in point, the Panthers' D was dominated by the Saints in the previous 2 meetings. So what do they do? The same exact game plan from my eyes. It wasn't until late in the 2nd half, when Carolina started changing up their coverages & disguising them, that they started forcing the Saints to punt. His refusal to remove Shula was also part of his conservative approach. I'm hoping the way the game ended & parting ways w/Shula is a sign he's going to be more willing to adjust.......


........Rumours were Mike Mularkey was going to get fired if they lost to the Chiefs. As crazy as firing a playoff coach sounds, I wouldn't have blamed the Titans front office. He had the easiest schedule. His division had one team missing their QB the entire year. Another who wished their QB was missing the entire year. And the other had like 5 different QB's during the year. Yet, he barely squeezed into the playoffs as a WC. He should have won the division. When the Colts & Texans get healthy, when the Jags get a decent QB, how good do you feel about the Titans finishing out of the cellar?........


.......Not enough credit is being given to the Falcons for making it back to the playoffs. The SB hangover is real. Dan Quinn had to endure a less productive offense vs the NFL's toughest division. And he got them back into the playoffs by winning w/, IMO, an underrated defense. He hasn't gotten enough credit.........


.......Not much on Dave Gettlemen as a personell guy. Jus sayin' Giants fans...........


..........What happened to Darrell Green?...........


........I like Minnesota to play the SB on their home field. I've got them over NO & playing ATL in the NFC title game. NE & Pitt will have no problems this weekend. I know everyone is in love w/the Jags D. But must I point out to you Bortles ran for 88 yds & passed for 87 last week? Those are poor numbers even if you were QB'ing the Army Cadets. .......


......I thought the officials in NYC could buzz the refs if a critical error is about to be made? If so, why didn't anyone force Tripplett to give the ball to KC after Mariota clearly fumbled?........


......Something I saw online "Of course the Bills lost. Any team Cincinnati gets into the playoffs lose once they get there."

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Agree with the college football, I’m a Notre Dame fan but there was no way during the season that the Fighting Irish were top 4. You look at Stanford they lost 5 games and still finished top 20, yet South Florida only lose 2, 1 of which was against an unbeaten team yet can’t finish above Stanford who lost against an unranked team now people can argue about strength of schedule but to me that’s wrong.