The Twelve Days of Gheorgemas: Day 9

On the ninth day of Gheorghemas, Big Gheorghe gave to me . . . 

Nine Games Worth Notice

A Moment of Rest

Seven Things for Reading

Six old and new musical experiences

Five roadsters you can and should buy right now

FORE! An overdue update on LIV & the PGA Tour

Three Ways of Coping

Stories from two three strokes

And much needed hip mo-bili-ty

College football is in the midst of a sea change that includes mega-conferences and greater player empowerment in the form of approved payments and the transfer portal. Add to that the first year of the 12-team FBS playoff, and this season has been unlike any other. 

I’m old enough to remember when discussion of a playoff of any sort was off the table. A playoff would somehow devalue the regular season. It would be onerous for the, ahem, student-athletes, because it would require several more games and extra physical and perhaps academic burdens. This was always transparent nonsense, since FCS and D2 and D3 football and every other NCAA sport conduct playoffs; it was simply a way to preserve the FBS bowl structure, a patronage setup that enriched a select few and has long been indefensibly quaint or quaintly indefensible -- whichever you prefer. 

As in most areas, however, concerns and resistance magically melt away when the amount of money available usurps that of the old regime. A two-team selection became four and now 12 as TV contracts worth billions will be distributed mostly among the power conferences and schools. As for a devalued regular season, viewership and interest appear to be just fine. 

Anyone who has checked out on college football due to the present money grab is 1) rare and 2) hasn’t paid attention for quite some time. All that said, here are nine games for perusing that helped define a compelling season: 

Memphis 20, Florida State 12. Sept. 14. Florida State’s preseason No. 10 ranking was already a memory, after losses to Georgia Tech and Boston College to begin the year. Coach Mike Norvell’s loss to his former program, the one that landed him the FSU gig, and a drop to 0-3 cemented the fact that there are structural problems in Tallahassee. Memphis limited the Seminoles to 37 yards rushing and less than 250 total yards, this after both Ga. Tech and BC controlled the line of scrimmage. Florida State finished 2-10, its only victories against Cal and FCS Charleston Southern, while Memphis of the AAC went 10-2. The Seminoles’ notoriously entitled and impatient booster base would like to make a change, but Norvell signed a contract extension after winning the ACC last season. His buyout is $64 million if he leaves, according to USA Today, and he would be owed 85 percent of that if he is fired. Expensive lesson. 

James Madison 70, North Carolina 50. Sept. 21. Most power conference programs have unsightly losses in their history. Goes with the territory. Some, however, are more damaging and telling than others. Venerable coach Mack Brown’s second stint at Carolina featured both successes and hiccups. But the Tar Heels’ performance against JMU, just two years into its status as an FBS program, was irredeemable. The Dukes hung 53 points on Carolina in the first half, with receivers running lonesome open for big plays, and totaled 611 yards. Brown himself called it “embarrassing.” Fast forward a couple months and as the Heels prepared for their finale against rival N.C. State, Brown said he planned to coach next season. UNC administration responded with ‘no thanks’ and said it would look elsewhere. Brown coached the finale, a disappointing 35-30 loss that again displayed the 6-6 Heels’ inability to finish, along with the harsh truth of major college coaching, that the Reaper eventually comes for them all. And when a school that made its athletic bones with basketball then went out and spent money to hire Bill Belichick, it conveys all you need to know about which sport calls the shots in college athletics. 

Vanderbilt 40, Alabama 35. Oct. 5. If you wanted a Sign of the Apocalypse, or simply an indication that college football has changed, you could do worse than this result. One of the biggest upsets in SEC history caused a scramble through the record books and made a folk hero of Vandy QB Diego Pavia, who had 309 yards of total offense and stared down the No. 1-ranked Crimson Tide’s every challenge. It was Vandy’s first win against ‘Bama in 40 years and first ever against a top-five team. The Commodores were 0-60 against the top five previously, with 50 of those losses by double figures. Nick Saban said prior to the game that Vandy Stadium was the easiest road venue in the SEC, which successor Kalen DeBoer might dispute. Turned out that three losses, including the loss to Vandy and especially the late thump job to Oklahoma cost the Tide a playoff berth. 

Oregon 32, Ohio State 31, Oct. 12. Terrific showdown in the newly distended, geographically incongruous conference membership world. No. 2 vs No. 3. Seven lead changes, 963 yards of offense, big plays from primo players. Outcome wasn’t decided until Ohio State QB Will Howard, trying to get his team in position for a potential winning field goal, took off on a run in the final seconds but slid down as time expired. Howard passed for 336 yards and two TDs, while Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel, an Oklahoma transfer who replaced NFL draft pick Bo Nix, threw for 341 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another. The Ducks used that game as a springboard to an unbeaten regular season and No. 1 ranking, and moderated coach Dan Lanning’s tendencies to go for two, go for it on fourth down and let his imagination run untethered. 

Indiana 56, Nebraska 7. Oct. 19. The Hoosiers opened eyes with a 6-0 start and top-25 ranking under new coach Curt Cignetti but the schedule was tame. Nebraska was supposed to provide a test. They resemble the Cornhuskers of old in name only, though they entered 5-1 overall. They had some quality pieces, and were the only program in the nation not to have allowed a rushing touchdown. Indiana notched five rushing TDs, 215 yards on the ground, and forced five Nebraska turnovers. Cignetti has overseen an amazing turnaround with the program’s first 11-win season and a berth in the playoff after being picked to finish 17th in the 18-team Big Ten. The former JMU coach and one-time Nick Saban assistant doesn't lack confidence and provided one of the great press conference sound bites, at his intro presser. A reporter asked why he thought he could transform the Hoosiers’ dismal fortunes. He responded, “I win. Google me.” 

Colorado 34, Cincinnati 23. Oct. 26. Not a hugely dramatic result, more a sign of progress from the most visible guy in college football. The Buffs cleanly dispatched Cincy for their sixth win, making them bowl eligible for the first time since 2016 – not counting the COVID season of 2020. Coach Prime’s second-favorite child, or wherever Shedeur Sanders ranks in Dad’s present hierarchy, completed his first 15 passes and was 25 for 30 for 323 yards and two scores. Two-way star and future Heisman winner Travis Hunter had nine catches for 153 yards and a TD, and broke up four passes on defense. The Cincy win was part of a finishing stretch of five wins in their last six games and a 9-3 overall record. A year ago, Colorado
started quickly in Deion’s first season but faded to 4-8, prompting some to wonder if he was all sizzle and no substance. He’ll have to replace Shedeur and Hunter, though it’s increasingly apparent that he wants to and is able to build a program. 

SMU 48, Pitt 25. Nov. 3. Who better to navigate the terrain of conference realignment, payments to players and easy player transfer than a Texas school with deep-pocketed donors who’ve had their noses pressed up against the window of Big Boy college football for 30 years? SMU took advantage of ACC discomfit, talked their way into the league and ran through it on their first lap. The Mustangs figured to be immediate contenders but their deconstruction of previously unbeaten and 18th-ranked Pitt confirmed that they are going to be a chore. They led 31-3 at halftime and cruised. Their transfer-heavy and presumably well compensated roster is upper tier, and head coach and offensive tinkerer Rhett Lashlee has a name that sounds like he could be the wealthy heir to a Memphis real estate fortune or a successful attorney with a dark secret on “Days of Our Lives.” 

Arizona State 28, BYU 23. Nov. 23. The Sun Devils’ march to the Big 12 Conference title game in their first year in the league featured this resume’ builder against 14th-ranked BYU. Coach Kenny Dillingham inherited a mess two years ago in the wake of the Herm Edwards failed experiment. After going 3-9 in the last year of the Pac-12 as we knew it, ASU was picked to finish last in the Big 12 but went 10-2, its best record in 25 years. The Sun Devils were led by all-purpose back and Super Mario Bros. character Cam Skattebo and a roster dotted with transfers. A Phoenix native, Dillingham (34) is one of the youngest head coaches in D1 and was previously offensive coordinator and QB coach at Oregon, Florida State and Auburn before landing his hometown gig. 

Michigan 13, Ohio State 10. Nov 30. We live in interesting times, when a coach who has won 87 percent of his games and 90 percent of his conference games is vilified because he is 1-4 against one particular opponent. Of course, it makes no sense. Sports, man. That it was a mind-blowing result in one of the nastiest, most heated rivalries in football is gas on the fire. The second-ranked Buckeyes face-planted, at home, in a game in which they were 21-point faves. Michigan entered 6-5 and had mostly scuffled along after losing coach Jim Harbaugh to the NFL and a slew of players from their national championship team. The Buckeyes and their $20 million roster couldn’t much run or pass and missed a couple of makeable field goals. Michigan threw for a grand total of 62 yards and two picks, yet won. The post-game dust-up at midfield, complete with pepper spray, wasn’t a good look, either. The only thing that might redeem OSU coach Ryan Day – emphasis on “might” – is a natty. No pressure. 

Honorable Mention: Several Miami games, which highlight the value of a top-shelf quarterback, even just a one-year rental. Washington State transfer Cam Ward, whose NIL deal was reportedly in the $2 million range, elevated Miami back into the national discussion. Texas-Texas A&M, which drove home the absurdity of shelving rivalry games because of competing conference interests. And for the Longhorns, even in an era of transfers and roster overhaul, there is still great value in continuity, development and an emphasis on line play. Texas' offensive and defensive lines are veteran groups that have been together for a few years and the cornerstone of what may be the nation's best overall roster. Boise State-Washington State, in which the Broncos and primo back Ashton Jeanty (259 yards, 4 TD) dusted the former Pac-12 member near the start of an 11-game win streak that landed them in the playoffs. The bar is higher for non-power conference schools to make the playoffs, but the expanded field provides an avenue if the stars align.