Random Thoughts: Appetizers

We are not quite to the first course yet. Still nibbling on cheese and leftover candy corn. The best is yet to come.

Looziana-Laffy 36 Marshall 21 - The Thundering Herd collapsed after taking a five-point lead into the fourth quarter. The Ragin’ Cajuns stacked up three unanswered touchdowns in the fourth quarter for the New Orleans Bowl rout.

If not for an opening weekend loss to Texas, the Rajuns (13-1) would have had a perfect season. Although Billy Napier did not coach ULL in the New Orleans Bowl, it is a final feather in his cap of an excellent run. Michael Desormeaux is off to a 1-0 start as Laffy’s new head coach but he’ll have to find a new quarterback for next year. With a 7-6 season, Marshall head coach and former Alabama assistant Charles Huff will need to see some improvement on what was his first season in Huntington, WV.

Utah State 24 Oregon State 13 - Due to injuries, third-string quarterback Cooper Legas was pressed into service and threw two touchdown passes as the Aggies won the inaugural L.A. Bowl. After the Beavers led 10-7, USU scored the next 17 points behind the sophomore. The Oregon State University committed 13 penalties.

Western Kentucky 59 Appalachian State 38 - WKU QB Bailey Zappe continued his aerial assault on foes with 422 yards and six touchdowns.

Liberty 56 Eastern Michigan 20 - Down 13-10 in the second quarter, Liberty scored 46 straight points the W in the Mobile Bowl.

OTHER STUFF

Fresno 31 UTEP 24
MTSU 31 Toledo 24
Coastal Carolina 47 Nothern Illinois 41
Tulsa 30 Old Dominion 17

CELEBRITY BIG MAD OF THE MONTH

TRICK PLAY OF THE WEEK

Too bad they lost.

UGLIEST UNIFORMS

I’m sorry. They just look too much like the Jacksonville Jaguars. Nice play, though.

NON-CALL OF THE WEEK

So I guess they are not calling this a penalty anymore.

PICK OF THE WEEK

KID BROTHER DOES OKAY

• Taulia Tagovailoa was named a finalist for the 2021 Polynesian College Football Player of the Year Award. Maryland will play Virginia Tech in Yankee Stadium December 29.

STATS OF THE WEEK

• Marshall QB Grant Wells completed 15 of 26 passes for 99 yards. That comes to a teeny tiny minicule 3.8 yds per pass.
• WKU QB Bailey Zappe set single-season FBS records for pass yards (5,967) and pass TD (62).
• WKU wide receiver Jerreth Sterns caught 13 passes for 184 yards and three TDs. It was his tenth 100+ yard game of the season.
• Tyler Allgeier set single season BYU records with 270 rushes and 1589 yards. He also compiled 22 TDs.

NAME OF THE WEEK

• CCU tight end Isaiah Likely. I hope his middle name starts with an “M”, so he can be IM Likely.

RECRUIT NAME OF THE WEEK

• Iceberk Cave - This might just be the Key & Peele MVP for 2021.

ADOPT-A-TEAM

• UT-Martin (10-3) - Head coach Jason Simpson finished eighth out of 17 finalists for the 2021 Eddie Robinson Award, FCS.
• UTSA (12-1) - The Roadrunners take on San Diego Maradona State in the Frisco (TX) Bowl this evening.
• UCLA (8-4) - The Bruins get a tough draw in NC State Dec 28. Fortunately for UCLA, it is a home advantage playing in the Holiday Bowl in San Diego.

COUSINS

• Troy (5-7) - The Trojans had a pretty awful Early Signing Day. They signed only five prospects and only one had any stars-rankings. Their class is ranked #148 in the nation - meaning several FCS teams were ranked higher. It’s not a great start for new hire Jon Sumrall.
• South Alabama (5-7) - The Jags signed 11 players to their 2022 class, seven of whom were rated three stars. Nationally, the class ranks #104 which is not great but an improvement over #124 from the last recruiting circuit. USA has already picked up five transfers, including two from coach Kane Wommack’s previous stop of Indiana.

THAT ANNOYING GUY WHO TURNS ON HIS BLINKER AFTER HE STARTS TURNING

• UAB 31 BYU 28 - In one of the tighter games of the weekend, the Dragons (9-4) matched the Mormons punch-for-punch throughout much of the game. Bham U put together a long fourth quarter touchdown drive that consisted of 15 plays and 75 yards, lasting 8:16. BYU tried one last response but fumbled at midfield with 3:36 to play and oo-abb ran out the clock with four lethal first down runs.

Photo by Kyle Emery/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

SALUTE TO OUR TROOPS

• Army (8-4) - The Black Knights play Mizzou on Dec 22 in the Armed Forces Bowl.
• Navy (3-8) - The Midshipmen set sail for future days.
• Air Force (9-3) - The Falcons are set to face Louisville in the 2021 First Responder Bowl, Dec. 28.

ELIMINATED FROM PLAYOFF CONTENTION

Premature elimination: None.

Definite elimination: Duke, Georgia Tech, Louisville, FSU, NC State, Syracuse, Clemson, UNC, Virginia, Pitt, Boston College, Miami, Virginia Tech, Kansas, Iowa State, Texas Tech, Kansas State, TCU, West Virginia, Texas Tech, Texas, Baylor, Nebraska, Illinois, Indiana, Northwestern, Rutgers, Minnie, Wisky, Purdue, Maryland, Iowa, Penn State, Cal, Oregon State, Arizona, Arizona State, Stanford, Colorado, Southern Cal, Utah, UCLA, Washington State, Washington, Mizzou, Vandy, Tennessee, South Carolina, Missy State, LSU, Texas A&M, Arky, Kentucky, Auburn, Florida, BYU, Ole Miss, Michigan State, Wake Forest, Oregon, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Ohio State, Notre Dame

Endangered: Michigan, Alabama, Cincy, UGA.

Not endangered: None.

A way WAY WAY too early look at the College Football Playoff (CFP) picture:

• ACC - No teams ranked in the Top 10.
• Big 12 - Only three total ranked teams in the B12: #7 Baylor, #9 Okie Lite, #16 Okie.
• Big Ten - Only nine bowl teams from this league of 14.
• PAC-12 - Oregon State was the first Power-5 teams to play a bowl game. Their loss puts the conference in an early 0-1 hole.
• SEC - Will UGA and Alabama see a rematch in the Championship Game?
• Indies - BYU at #13 seems a little overrated right about now.
• Non-Power 5 - Nobody is talking about Cincinnati.

RANK ‘EM IF YOU GOT ‘EM

2006 Final AP College Football Rankings:

1. Florida (64)
2. Ohio State
3. LSU
4. Southern Cal
5. Boise State (1)
6. Louisville
7. Wisconsin
8. Michigan
9. Auburn
10. West Virginia
11. Oklahoma
12. Rutgers
13. Texas
14. Cal
15. Arkansas
16. BYU
17. Notre Dame
18. Wake Forest
19. Virginia Tech
20. Boston College
21. Oregon State
22. TCU
23. Georgia
24. Penn State
25. Tennessee

We’ve come a long way, baby!

LET’S GO BOWLING!

SEC BOWL TIE-INS (with match-ups)

Dec 22 Armed Forces: AAC vs Pool (Mizz-Army)
Dec 23 Gasparilla: ACC/SEC vs. Pool (UCF-Fla)
Dec 28 Birmingham: ACC/SEC vs. Pool (Hou-Aub)
Dec 28 Liberty: Big 12 vs. SEC (TxTech-MissSt)
Dec 30 Music City: Big Ten vs. SEC (Purdue-Tenn)
Dec 30 Duke’s Mayo: ACC vs. Big Ten* (UNC-SCar)
Dec 30 Peach: at-large vs. at-large (Sparty-Pitt)
Dec 31 Gator: Big Ten vs. SEC (Wake-TxA&M)
Dec 31 Cotton: CFP Semifinal (ALABAMA vs Cincy)
Dec 31 Orange: CFP Semifinal (Michigan vs Georgia)
Jan 1 Sugar: SEC vs. Big 12 (Ole Miss vs Baylor)
Jan 1 Rose: Big Ten vs. Pac-12 (anOSU-Utah)
Jan 1 Fiesta: at-large vs. at-large (OkieSt-ND)
Jan 1 Citrus: Big Ten vs. SEC (Iowa-UK)
Jan 1 Outback: Big Ten vs. SEC (PSU-Ark)
Jan 4 Texas: Big 12 vs. SEC (LSU-K-State)

LET’S GO BLOWING

• Announced attendance for the Boca Bowl between WKU and Appy (above) was 15,429. There’s that many at the hot dog line at Bryant-Denny on fall Saturdays.
• Cure Bowl between Coastal and NIU says they had 9,784. Mustard line.

Krazy Kristi’s “SHUT UP!” of the Week is not really a SHUT UP but more of a #LifeLessons moment. QB Chas Brice started his career at Clemson behind Trevor Lawrence. After CJ Uigagleie joined the team, he saw the writing on the wall and grad transferred to Duke. Great decision, right? A graduate degree from Duke will open a lot of doors once football is over. But no, Brice wanted glory or maybe all the book-learning in Durham was too much and he transferred again, this time to ... wait for it .... Appalachian State. The Mountaineers finish 10-4 with a Boca Raton Bowl loss to WKU. I hope it was worth it, kid.

HEISMAN HYPE

Most years, the Heisman Trophy voting is basically a hype award. Often times voters fall in love with someone and refuse to REALLY look at what a player has accomplished. Of course there are exceptions.

NEXT YEAR

Let the hype begin.

• QB Bryce Young (rising Jr, Alabama)
• QB CJ Stroud (rising Jr, anOSU)
• EDGE Will Anderson (rising Jr, Alabama)
• Some overrated bozo from Big Ten country.
• RB TreVeyon Henderson (rising soph, Ohio State)
• QB Will Rogers (rising Jr, Miss. State)
• QB Caleb WIlliams (rising soph, Okl)
• QB Tyler Van Dyke (rising soph, Miami)
• RB Bijan Robinson (rising Jr, Texas)

WHO SHOULD WIN

CLARIFICATION: This section IS for who deserves to win it.

DRAMA

• Former Bama DB Marcus Banks is heading about 85 miles west to Mississippi State. Go ahead and pencil him in as a starter.
• Former Auburn QB Bo Nix, who famously shot off his mouth about Alabama last month, has decided to take his brand to the other side of the country to Oregon. He may be ducking out on playing the Crimson Tide one last time, but he won’t be able to avoid Georgia. The Ducks with their new head coach Dan Lanning, will play the Bulldogs on September 3, 2022 in Atlanta.
• Texas A&M will be without five key starters for the Gator Bowl. Safety Leon O’Neal, defensive lineman DeMarvin Leal, running back Isaiah Spiller, and defensive tackle Jayden Peevy have all declared for the NFL Draft. But that is not the worst part. Starting quarterback Stephen Garcia Jake Calzada has decided to transfer, leaving the Aggies with walk-on freshman Blake Bost as their starter.
• LSU was in a similar position after starter Max Johnson 23-skidooed for College Station. The Tigers were down to starting a walk-on freshman or burning Garrett Nessmeier’s redshirt (played in 4 games) in their bowl game. However, Myles Brennan is back from obscurity. He was injured early in the 2021 season and then decided to jump into the Quitter Hole. Now, he is back and will start in the Texas Bowl against Kansas State. All that said, I’m not totally convinced that Brennan will be on the LSU roster come Labor Day. Someone(s) probably begged, pleaded, and bargained for Brennan to play one last game. Maybe they convinced him that he could showcase himself for his next destination.
• As I am sure you have all heard, former LSU DB Eli Ricks has decided to transfer to Alabama, and BOY are the corndogs BIG MAD.
• Arkansas DL Tre Williams was arrested on DWI charge. Too bad he didn’t play for UGA. Youda never heard about it.
• From the Is This What We Want Football To Be? Department: FIU offensive lineman Miles Frazier committed to LSU. Saban tried to warn them.
• UCF QB Dillon Gabriel has agreed to transfer to UCLA.
• Overrated Indiana quarterback Michael Penix is heading to Washington. Poor Huskies fans...

KOACHES KORNER

POWER 5 JOB OPENINGS: FLA, SO CAL, LSU, VA TECH, TCU, WASH, WAZZU, OKLAHOMA, NOTRE DAME, DUKE, UVA, OREGON.

• Temple hired Texas RB coach Stan Drayton. Hmm, good luck with that.
• Dabo being Dabo, the Clemson coach is desperately trying to keep the Pizza Party Cult together by promoting from within for his coordinators. Mickey Conn was named Co-Defensive Coordinator. Todd Bates gets “Assistant Head Coach” added to his title. Brandon Streeter is Clemson’s new OC. This will not end well.
• FSU’s Mike Norvell verbally agreed to a one-year contract extension, through the 2026 season. FOR GOING 5-7!
• Urban Meyer was fired before he could think up of a fake disease he hasn’t already used. Urban’s whole family are either psychos or enablers.
• When Fat F*** Phil Fulmer stepped on a scale and it said: “To be continued.”.

TEEVEE

THIS WEEK

Tuesday, Dec. 21

POTATO BOWL: Kent State vs. Wyoming (-3.5; O/U 59) 2:30/3:30 ESPN

FRISCO BOWL I: San Diego State (-3; O/U 49.5) vs. UTSA 6:30/7:30 ESPN

Wednesday, Dec. 22

ARMED FORCES BOWL: Missouri vs. Army (-3.5; O/U 57) 7pm/8pm ESPN

Thursday, Dec. 23

FRISCO BOWL II: Miami (Ohio) (-3; O/U 56.5) vs. North Texas 2:30/3:30 ESPN

GASPARILLA BOWL: Florida (-6.5; O/U 55.5) vs. Center Florida 6pm/7pm ESPN

Friday, Dec. 24

PARTICIPATION AWARD BOWL: Memphis (-8.5; O/U 56) vs. Hawaii 7pm/8pm ESPN

Saturday, Dec. 25

CAMELLIA BOWL: Ball State vs. Georgia State (-5.5; O/U 50) 1:30/2:30 ESPN

Monday, Dec. 27

DETROIT BOWL: Western Michigan (-6; O/U 56.5) vs. Nevada 10am/11am ESPN

MILITARY BOWL: East Carolina vs. Boston College (-3; O/U 51.5) 1:30/2:30 ESPN

Spreads and Over/Unders are according to DraftKings sportsbook.

Odds/lines subject to change. T&Cs apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for details.

BRYANT-DENNY WEST

Alabama is undefeated in JerryWorld:

• Sep 1, 2012 vs. No. 8 Michigan, W 41–14
• Sep 5, 2015 vs. No. 20 Wisconsin, W 35–17
• Dec 31, 2015 vs. No. 3 Michigan State, W 38–0
• Sep 3, 2016 vs. No. 20 Southern Cal, W 52–6
• Sep 5, 2020 vs. No.17 Southern Cal, Cancelled
• Jan 1, 2021 vs. No. 4 Notre Dame, W 31–14

#ALABAMA

• Jalyn Armour-Davis wants to play in the game, but Nick Saban said last week he is unsure as to what his status will be, “how much he’ll be able to do in practice.”
• On Monday, Saban said there are no injury updates. He did mention that Javon Baker and Traeshon Holden are doing a good job filling in for John Metchie. He also said Agiye Hall “has been making some plays” and Ja’Corey Brooks is “continuing to improve”.
• 2022 QB signee Ty Simpson has been practicing with the team. There is speculation that LSU transfer Eli Ricks could practice with the team depending on when he arrives and gets situated in Tuscaloosa. No other newcomer is involved in practice and none of them are eligible to participate in the playoff games.

COTTON BOWL/CFP SEMI-FINAL: Saturday, December 31, 2021

Alabama Crimson Tide (12-1) vs Cincinnati Bearcats (13-0)

Bryant-Denny West, Arlington, TX ~ 2:30/3:30 ESPN

• Famous Cincy graduate William Howard Taft is best know for getting stuck in a bath tub.
• Announcers: Sean McDonough and Todd Blackledge with Molly McGrath and Laura Rutledge on the sidelines.
• Eli Gold on Alabama Radio.
• The Crimson Tide have played Cincy before - five times in fact: 1908, 1982, 1984, 1985, and 1990. Of course the Tide is 5-0.
• According to DraftKings sportsbook, the line on this game is Bama -13½. Over/Under is 58.

Odds/lines subject to change. T&Cs apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for details.