College Football Odyssey

In last year’s 12-team playoff, no team was selected with more than 2 losses.  We all heard the wailing in Austin as Texas bellowed “we deserve to go” after they beat the hated Aggies to finish 9-3.  The Longhorns had some logic on their side as they chose to schedule a game in Columbus against Ohio State.  However, that argument fell on deaf ears when one realized that the Longhorns lost to 4-8 Florida.

Circumstances have changed in 2026.  With the powerful SEC going to a 9-game conference schedule, 8 more losses will be foisted on SEC squads.  The other supposedly powerful conference, the Big 10, has stubbed its toe in non-conference play:  its non-conference mark against other Power 4 teams is a putrid 4-10.  There appears to be no 2nd team in the ACC that one would categorize as excellent.

Thus, the Odyssey predicts that at least one SEC team will make the playoffs at 9-3.  Did you notice our “at least”?  Do not be shocked if 2 SEC teams qualify at 9-3.  In our opinion, the SEC deserves the benefit of the doubt in 2026.

New Mexico is justifiably dubbed as the Land of Enchantment.  Many beautiful vistas!  However, last Saturday’s intrastate tilt between New Mexico and New Mexico State spoke volumes about the eternal challenges both programs face.  The state’s high school talent pool is extremely sparse.  Nem Mexico had 12 players on its roster who prepped in New Mexico.  This sounds bad, but even worse New Mexico State had only 9 “locals” suit up last Saturday.

New Mexico has an incredible coach in Jason Eck and, sadly, will not be able to keep him in Albuquerque for the long haul.  Despite a quality Lobo team that had a chance to tie Oklahoma late in the 4th quarter on September 19, attendance was a disappointment.  Aggie Stadium capacity is  only 28,000.  No sellout as announced attendance was 25,000 with actual attendance pegged as significantly less.  Did bad weather affect attendance?  No, as a sunny, 80 degree day made its presence in Las Cruces.

The Odyssey surmises that the lure of flying in hot air balloons is just too distracting.  And, please, Mr. Trump, do not even think about renaming New Mexico.

Our chief USC correspondent, John Jones, offered the following critique:

The Trojans badly missed freshman superstar wide receiver, Trent Mosley.  Mosley’s absence, the puzzling year of Tanook Hines and some iffy pass interference calls that went uncalled were all contributors to USC only scoring 27 points.

Oregon ‘s run defense was designed to make King Miller’s life on Saturday difficult as the Ducks once-vaunted defensive line was geared to stopping runs up the gut.  Perhaps, Jayden Maiava and the USC offense should have been geared to more perimeter plays.

Oregon showed the wisdom of paying for backup QB insurance when they plucked 2-year starting Nebraska QB, Dylan Raiola, out of the portal.  Dante Moore was carted off in an ambulance.  after a spearing hit by Desman Stephens in the first half.   Raiola played extremely well with the Ducks’ season literally hanging in the balance.  God bless NIKE! There are two points of view on the Moore incident. Oregon and Lanning were convinced that the hit was “dirty and disgusting.”  USC fans tended to believe that this was a situation where Moore had started to slide only after Stephens had already lauched his body.  Targeting calls can be very difficult to adjudicate.

Jones opines that Lincoln Riley will need to finish at least 8-4 to stay at Troy for a sixth year.  USC has remaining road games at Penn State, Wisconsin, UCLA  and Indiana.  OUCH!   Also, a Halloween tilt in the Coliseum against the big, bad Buckeyes.  The only two “relatively safe” games are home affairs against a disappointing Washington squad and Maryland.  Prized freshmen such as Mosley and tight end Mark Bowman will improve as the season progresses.  The Odyssey’s guess: 8-4.

The stakes on Saturday were enormous for both the Ducks and the Trojans.  Oregon righted the show while the road back to playoff contention will be extremely difficult for USC.

The vaunted SEC has been sick to its stomach listening to all the bragadoccio from the Big 10:  3 straight National Championships, blah, blah, blah.  As a result, the Odyssey has been very concerned with the well being of the Mouth of the South, Paul Finebaum.

The SEC’s retort, “Yeah, but we have more depth than you.”  In other words, if the best measurement as to “the best” is how much depth a conference has, the SEC has had a strong argument despite its absence from the last 3 championship games.

Their latest data point:  The SEC has 10 of the top 25 teams in the latest poll.  Ten is a staggering number given that the SEC has played a lot of meaningful non-conference games compared to the Big 10.  The Odyssey is well aware that early season polls are about as flawed as Joe Biden’s 2024 campaign.  How can Texas A&M be ranked after it just got bashed at home by a Kentucky team (one of the few SEC teams still unranked)?

Pre-season biases still have a toxic impact on polls.  Mississippi State is ranked behind Missouri despite being about the only team to have triumphed in 2 road games over Power 4 foes.  No worries, though! If our assessment is correct, Mississippi State will beat  Missouri on Saturday (the other team besides A&M whose ranking is questionable).

The depth of the SEC shows itself in many ways.  Ole Miss has beaten two vaunted opponents but finds itself as an underdog in Saturday’s team at the Swamp against a supposedly rebuilding Gator squad.

The Odyssey is convinced!  The SEC’s 9th best team trumps the Big 10’s 9th best team.  We leave it to others to decide if this is the ultimate litmus test as to superiority.

If the Lane Kiffin saga is, in fact, a morality play, then let the bells of justice ring out.

In reality, Ole Miss had more pressure to win this game than LSU.  Much more!  If Ole Miss could not beat the Bayou Bengals at home with their best QB in history without the last name of Manning, when would this occur?  Trinidad Chambliss had to navigate the Mississippi court system to squeeze out one last year of eligibility.

Whatever one thinks of Lane Kiffin, give the devil his due.  Both his offensive play calling and talent evaluation are superb.  Pat McAfee may have been prescient on Gameday when he predicted the Rebels won win the day but LSU may well win the national championship.  LSU does need some work on its passing game but its extensive roster expenditures are clearly visible.

Ole Miss is far from a great team but they possess something no other team can claim:  two very high quality wins (Louisville beat SMU 41-31 earlier today).  Further, a team with Trinidad Chambliss has a puncher’s chance in any game.   When LSU stormed back from a 24-7 deficit, Chambliss led the game-winning punctuated by his TD scamper.  But, for tonight, the hell with the future.  A sweet, sweet victory over the reviled Lane Kiffin will resonate for a long time.

As readers know, the Odyssey has been counting down the days until Lane Kiffin visits Oxford for a most unique Magnolia Bowl.

Give Kiffin his due:  He is unparalleled at stirring the pot.  Whoever concocted the latest Dr. Pepper campaign is an unquestioned, marketing genius.  When Brian Bosworth pulls him over for an “illegal Lane change,” way too funny.  They catch a classic Kiffin scene as he imperiously rolls up his window.

The Odyssey is very interested in the new John Talty book, “Lane Being Lane” and Talty’s interview this week with the Mouth of the South.  Nick Saban allegedly described him as a “c*cksucker” in Kiffin’s final, alcohol-fueled days in Tuscaloosa.  Talty observed that when Kiffin leaves a place, “he leaves bodies everywhere.”

Kiffin’s hatred of Ole Miss is a bit hard to understand.  Less hard to understand is Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry’s desire to have Kiffin as LSU coach.  Landry talks about bringing in aerial security support and the National Guard to Oxford for Saturday night’s tilt.  In the same breath, Landry asks for “southern hospitality” for LSU.  Was southern  hospitality used when LSU raided a playoff-bound coach during Ole Miss’ playoff run?

In the latest saga of this soap opera, LSU’s defensive end dervish, Princewill Umanmielen, was served papers by Ole Miss staff yesterday for non-compliance with his Ole Miss NIL deal.  Landry hilariously responded that Ole Miss should have waited until Saturday night to serve the Prince as Ole Miss will find Prince continuously in the Ole Miss backfield.

Whatever one thinks of Kiffin and Landry, there is no shortage of laughs.  However, these belly laughs cannot trump that the Magnolia Bowl is also a morality tale.  GO REBELS!

Bobby Knight was arguably the best Big 10 basketball coach in conference history.  The same sentiment cannot be conferred on Ryan Day.  Somehow, the Buckeyes coughed up a 23-3 fourth quarter lead in Austin.  The Buckeye defense in its shocking, fourth quarter pratfall was lacking as Texas converted a 4th and 6 and a 4th and 9 as the Longhorns got up off the mat.

Still clinging to a 23-17 lead, “Hook Em Hawkins” missed a game-sealing field goal.   That hook was not Ryan Day’s fault.  However, let’s rewind to the first half.  Both Texas and Arch Manning had got off to a horrid start.  With momentum clearly on the OSU sideline, Day unwisely went for a first down on 4th and 2 from the 13 in the first half.  Stuffed.  Why not tack on 3 points in a game you are dominating?

Why Ryan Day gets the accolades he does is a mystery to the Odyssey.  During his infamous 4-game losing streak to That Team Up North, how many of those OSU teams had inferior talent to the hated Wolverines.  ZERO would be a good answer.  The Buckeyes were fortunate that the playoffs had just expanded from 4 to 12 teams in 2024.  Otherwise, their shocking pratfall as a 23-point favorite to the Maize and Blue would have nixed any chance for their subsequent national championship.

Reflect on what team that Day has faced with superior talent during his reign.  Perhaps Georgia in the 2022 playoff.  Perhaps.

Despite losing 3 of his last 4 games, Ryan Day is not a truly terrible coach.  You could almost convince the Odyssey that he rises to the level of mediocre.  But he does not belong in the same time zone as the Curt Cignetti’s of the world.

Membership in the FBS has grown to a bloated 138.

Over half of that rank, 70, reside in the “new” minor leagues.  Insta-transfers and lack of money have largely doomed the lower 70.  The number of Group of 6 teams that have single-digit starters returning easily surpasses those with double-digit returning starters.

Consider two financially strapped Sun Belt teams.  In 2024, Louisiana Monroe unearthed a treasure of a running back in Ahmad Hardy.  Hardy gave ULM a stellar freshman season before getting a big-money offer from Missouri.  Guess where Hardy played in 2005?

During my youth, Southern Miss used to be the non-SEC school that could give other Southern schools fits.  The Odyssey’s first field storming occurred in November 2003 when USM toppled an undefeated TCU team.  Even through 2011, the Golden Eagles were a very tough out.   Brett Favre, Reggie Collier and Ray Guy were all icons who played at the Rock.  In 2012,  Ellis Johnson was hired and the wheels came off.  A winless season has spurred years of ineptness in Hattiesburg.

This Saturday, the Golden Eagles travel to Auburn.  In former days, this visit would have caused apprehension on The Plains.  In Southern Miss’ last 24 games against the SEC, their record 1-23 (USM beat Kentucky 44-35 in  2016) screams othewise. The betting line on this Saturday’s game at Jordon-Hare: 33.5 points.

In the SEC’s first weekend, their 16-0 record was not as telling as outscoring their opposition by 606 points.  The new minor league could not be more visible.

Sunday, the Apple Cup will resume in Seattle as Washington State makes the state-long trip to visit the Huskies.  The Odyssey feels like flags should be waving at half mast.  Gone is one of the best aspects of any rivalry game.  It is preferable to play your  biggest rival in your last regular season game, as happened for decades in the Apple Cup rivalry.  Playing your rival  at season’s end gives both players and fans something to look forward to during the season.  If you beat your rival, it can salvage a season and make one feel warm and fuzzy during the off season.

When Washington State got booted out of the “Power 4,” this rivalry was going to suffer greatly because of the financial imbalance between the 2 schools.   How many kicks to the groin can one program take??  It is one thing to lose great QB’s like Cam Ward and John Mateer to greener pastures and more green.  Against all odds, Pullman has always been home to a disproportionate amount of great QBs.  Worse, Wazzu has had 3 head coaches the past 3 years.  Jake Dickert and Jimmy Rogers not only left the Palouse but where they landed speaks volumes.  Both departed for the likes of Wake Forest and Iowa State – hardly bulebloods.

Regardless, the Odyssey was shocked when reading the Pullman-Moscow Daily News earlier this week. The Washington State band is not making the trek to Seattle.  Say What?!?!  Washington was not willing to give the Cougar band its usual spot in the lower level of the stadium, instead only offering its new policy and putting rival bands in a remote part of the upper deck.  Washington State’s response:  “If you treat us with disrespect, we are not bringing our band.”  While there is fault on both sides, the Cougars’ failure to bring their band feels like the raising of a white flag in a game where Wazzu is a 24-point dog.

The jarring article’s headline: “Is it even a rivalry anymore?”  OUCH!  Unimaginable thoughts a few years back.  The Odyssey will watch tomorrow’s Apple Cup with a large degree of sadness.

Leave it to Lane Kiffin to make himself an even bigger villian as the September 19 visit to his former employer looms closer.  Lane is very bright.  He must know that his grab for some players, fresh from pro camps, would not be well received.  Consider the previous sentence as one of the understatements of the year.

Nobody’s imagination could have concocted that SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey would be testifying today in front of a state judge in Louisiana at the same time the SEC sued LSU in the federal court in Birmingham.

Kiffin LOVES the spotlight..Cannot get enough.  The Odyssey does give hin credit for his considerable sense of humor.  The new ad where Brian Bosworth pulls over Lane’s car for an “illegal Lane change.”  Upon hearing his offense, Lane closes his window.  Says it all.

On September 19, we know the chorus nationally is growing:  “GO REBELS.”