I promise to keep the intro short and sweet. After all, we have a national championship to discuss. But as we say farewell to another football season, one ripe with upsets, bad beats, a legendary national championship run and a pair of superb (finally) playoff games, one point stands above all.
No matter how much college football changes, it will still remain the purest, weirdest and most exciting sport on the planet. Oh, it’s getting confusing. The transfer portal, expansion and the NIL are slowly morphing CFB into the NFL. At least in some ways.
Saturdays, however, are still sacred. And the energy and excellence that we were gifted this year, despite the sport’s dramatic evolution, was as good as it has ever been.
Thank goodness for that. I can tolerate everything else. I can study rosters a little harder if it means that the games themselves will stay immaculate. And as we enter a national championship that feels somewhat lopsided in nature, I am reminded just how much beautiful chaos needed to take place for this matchup to happen.
Cheers to college football. Cheers to this year. Cheers to the national championship.
The Appetizer: College Football Playoff Tidbits and Observations
Before we get to the title game, let’s reassess some of the major movements around the sport.
1. It certainly feels like Jim Harbaugh is seriously considering a return to the NFL. Whether it’s the Panthers or the Broncos or another team, Harbaugh’s flirtation with the league is very real. And if it isn’t this year, just like it wasn’t last year, it feels like a matter of time. On the CFB front, Michigan would be a fascinating opening. It's a superb job with a deep, talented roster. Although the timing of the opening isn’t ideal, Michigan could swing for the fences when trying to find a replacement.
2. USC’s defense is going to prevent it from winning big until further notice. That says it all, really. The Trojans allowed Tulane to score 16 points in the final four minutes of the Cotton Bowl, and the Green Wave ultimately won 46-45. (They also, clearly, covered the two-point spread.) In the final two games of the season, the Trojans’ defense allowed 1,072 combined yards against Tulane and Utah. Now, the future of DC Alex Grinch, who followed Riley from Oklahoma, is in doubt. As it should be. USC has one season left with Caleb Williams. It must do everything it can to maximize his time before he heads to the NFL, likely as the No. 1 overall pick in 2024.