Jumbo Package; NCAA screws up OT rules

Happy Friday, everyone. The NCAA approved some new rules for overtime, and as you might imagine, they screwed it up.

Beginning with the 2021 season, teams must go for two points beginning with the second overtime period. Previously, they were not required to do so until the third overtime.

In addition, teams will alternate 2-point plays beginning with the third overtime period, rather than a series of four downs beginning at the 25-yard line. Previously, that set-up did not apply until the fifth overtime.

This is patently absurd. It’s bad enough that we have made overtime an offensive shootout by putting the offense in field goal range. Now after three overtimes the entire game is reduced to a goal line contest.

If shortening the game is the goal and there must be changes to that effect, here’s a modest proposal: reduce overtime to one drive for all the marbles. The team that wins the toss chooses to defend a one point lead or take the ball with a one point deficit. The drive starts on the offense’s own 35, and they either get points or they don’t. After that the game is over. It’s not ideal, but it accomplishes the main goal and better rewards great defense.

They are also cracking down on players faking injuries to stop the clock and coaches coming onto the field to argue calls.

Bryce Young’s father is very pleased with his son’s OC.

Hopefully Bryce plays like an all time great this season.

247sports talks potential unbeatens this season.

Alabama is fresh off of an undefeated season and has only lost six games over the course of the last six seasons. Alabama will not have Mac Jones back at quarterback, but former five-star prospect Bryce Young looks like he’s primed to take over the position and expected to run with it. The Crimson Tide, once again, have lost a lot of talent to the NFL and assistant coaches have departed for other jobs. But that’s the typical offseason at Alabama and there’s never been any issues with replacing that talent.

Let it be written.

Philly’s SBN site is very bullish on DeVonta Smith.

The Eagles should be thrilled to see DeVonta Smith on the board for them here. He was a potential consideration before they traded down from No. 6.

Had Jaylen Waddle been on the board, choosing between the two Crimson Tide pass-catchers wouldn’t have been easy. Smith is ultimately the pick, though, because there isn’t a world where the Eagles passing on the Heisman winner works out for them. Put simply, Smith is a stone-cold baller. Couldn’t care less about his weight. This is a complete receiver who dominated the SEC. Coaches, teammates, and opposing players alike have raved about his skill, football IQ, and will to win. Outlier physical frame be damned, he feels like a prospect worth betting on.

They need a WR in the worst way and would be lucky to have him.

Landon Dickerson spoke on NFL Network about the home gym he set up for the football players when COVID closed the athletic facilities.

This is a great piece from SI on Sark’s opinion of Mac Jones.

“It was, this guy is really smart, and he’s really competitive,” Sarkisian said. “But I didn’t know if he was the classroom-smart quarterback that maybe wouldn’t be able to apply it in a game when the bullets really started flying. And sitting in the same room was Tua [Tagovailoa], who we had a lot of real evidence on, that this guy could play and play really high-level football at the most critical moments. Go back to freshman year in the Georgia game, right?

“So it was a little bit unfair, but that just was the environment that I was in. I had one guy who had played a lot of football. One guy who had barely played at all. And you just don’t know sometimes until they get put into the live bullets.”

What happened when the live bullets started flying at Jones is one reason Sarkisian is sitting where he is now, as the head coach at Texas.

That last line says it all.

Last, Alabama has five players invited to the draft.