College Football Odyssey

The calendar turns today as August is in the rear view mirror.  With September upon us, the Odyssey now starts each day with a countdown:  Only 18 days until Lane Kiffin’s LSU Tigers take the field in Oxford, Mississippi.

Good ole Lane.  He is like a moth irresistably attracted to the limelight.  He must love it! He has been leading the charge to have some players in pro camps this summer return to Baton Rouge for a last college go.  Even though this development is reprehensible to many in college football.

To say that Kiffin has had colorful breakups would be understatement of a high magnitude.  Fired on the tarmac in the middle of the night at LAX and canned by Nick Saban on the eve of a national championship game.  Not to mention that Al Davis called him a liar after Kiffin’s short tenure as a too-young coach for the Raiders.

Yet these breakups pale in comparison to the 2 SEC venues that Kiffin has fled.  Leaving Tennessee after one year caused a near riot in Knoxville.  Last year, he could not result the lure of Baton Rouge and left Ole Miss for a big regional rival in LSU.  Can you imagine Woody Hayes leaving Ohio State for Michigan?  Leaving a playoff team in the lurch that came within 15 seconds of playing for the national title game would earn most a big, fat, scarlet letter, but, for its huge rival on top of it?

From the perspective of an Ole Miss fan, OUCH!  Kiffin was treated like a king in Oxford and he was promised huge pay days if he stayed at Ole Miss.  Nobody doubts his offensive acumen or his reknown ability to spot portal talent.  Ole Miss views its LSU rivalry as huge.  Two of Ole Miss’ most painful losses in its history have been inflicted in Baton Rouge.  Billy Cannon’s weaving TD run on Halloween night and a stout goal line stand kept Ole Miss from winning the national championship in 1959.  In 1972, in one of the most nefarious cases of clock mismanagement in college football history, Bert Jones was inexplicably given time for another play.  His subsequent TD pass resulted in  17-16 thievery.  In other words, if Kiffin had instead left for the Florida job, the wound would not be quite as deep.

For the many fans not invested in Ole Miss or LSU football, the Kiffin saga is a morality tale.  College football has never been less pristine due to money, instatransfers and ridiculous bouts of conference realignment.  Kiffin’s brazen departure brings to mind the old adage, “The grass isn’t always greener.”  While Kiffin’s calculus is likely correct in that the LSU job is an easier gig to win a national chamiopnship, his blatant hypocrisy was brought to light by an ESPN special on Kiffin last fall.  Kiffin was talking at length about lessons learned and his newfound maturity.  A memorable quote: “I needed Oxford more than Oxford needed me.”  60 days later, he hightails off for Baton Rouge.  This spring,  Kiffin piled on in a Vanity Fair  interview, saying that it was an issue for some African Americans to attend Ole Miss.  Nothing like reopening an old scab that is slowly healing, Lane!  If Kiffin was a student of American history, he would realize that Louisiana was also an integral part of the Confederacy 165 years ago.

Easy to understand why Ole Miss’ love turned to hate.  The Odyssey certainly does.  On September 19, two words come to mind:  GO REBELS!

Many pundits have tabbed Notre Dame as prime title contenders thanks to a ferocious defense, Lloyd Carr’s grandson (who happens to be a hell of a QB who fled from nearby Ann Arbor) and a schedule that seems to have only 3 potential speed bumps (at BYU, Miami and SMU) in an otherwise cushy schedule.

One element that has given the Odyssey indigestion in recent years:  the tearing down of traditions.  Few have been bigger than the absence of gaudiest intersectional rivalry in college football than USC-Notre Dame.   USC wanted to play the game in September.  The Irish balked.   Bye, bye, Coliseum in 2026.  The spectre of a daunting schedule gave Lincoln Riley pause to be more cooperative.  Fault to go around on both sides.

The absence of USC-Notre Dame on the 2026 schedule is jarring.  Their 95-game series (Notre Dame leads 53-37-5) goes back to the days of yore when teams traveled via train to play each other.  Two games are among the most famous in college football history:  The 34-31 “Bush push” Trojan comeback in 2005 was epic.  The most merorable comeback of all time?  How about USC spotting Notre Dame a 24-0 lead at the Coliseum in 1974, then roaring back to score 55 unanswered points in La La Land?  The Odyssey still has mesmerizing memories of Anthony Davis’ 102-yard kickoff return to start the 2nd half.

Starting in 2014, Notre Dame’s schedule made a monumental shift.  The Irish agreed to play an average of 5 ACC opponents per year and became a full-fledged ACC member in most other sports. This scheduling constraint resulted in collateral damage to regional rivalries.  While Notre Dame’s games with Michigan drew lots of regional attention, the Wolverines were not nearly the traditional regional rivals that Michigan State and Purdue have been for the Irish.

To great sadness and detriment to both the Boilermaker and Spartan programs, Notre Dame terminated their annual games.  To our great cheer, both Michigan State and Purdue have reemerged on the 2026 schedule.

One cannot overestimate the historical importance of the Notre Dame rivalry for both programs.  Growing up in Michigan, I can testify to the electricity in the Mitten State that accompanied each Irish visit to East Lansing. (only 158 miles from South Bend) . Notre Dame leads the series 49-29-1.  The 1966 10-10 tie among the nation’s two top-ranked teams is one of college football’s most famous games.

Purdue used to have the nickname name “The Spoilermakers.”  This moniker was largely based on Purdue’s ability to bedevil Notre Dame with one of their many great quarterbacks.   Notre Dame leads the series 59-26-2, but many of those 26 losses were deemed upsets, some of stunning nature.  Those days seem so far away in West Lafayette as Notre Dame has won 10 straight in the series and will surely extend that streak to 11 on September 26.

Regardless, the Odyssey will smile next month as two traditional rivalries are resurrected.

…….they are only #3 in the Big 10?

The Associated Press poll came out yesterday and Ohio State received 40 of the 69 votes for Number 1.   National champ Indiana only received 8.

Yes, OSU fields a virtual all-star team each fall but the Odyssey does not think they are better than Indiana or Oregon.

We realize it is a kneejerk reflex to vote the Buckeyes Number 1.  In any given year, one would not be far off.  But we have one issue that may surprise you.  Is Ryan Sayin really the savior in Columbus?  10 points against Texas.  OK, we will give Sayin some slack since it was the opener.  10 points against Indiana.  14 points against Miami.  See a trend?

Even with all-universe Jeremiah Smith, we see an issue:  Ryan Day.  How did Day lose 4 straight to Michigan?   DId Michigan have them outtalented in any of the 4?  Nope.  Day also managed to lose their last 2 games of 2025.

Meanwhile, IU’s Curt Cignetti is a QB whisperer of the highest magnitude.  The Odyssey believes that Cignetti’s prowess gives IU the edge over Day and the Buckeyes.  Yes, Dan Lanning has his own coaching skeletons (ie, losing to Washington twice in 2023 with arguably better talent) but Oregon looks to be loaded.

Despite its unparalleled pedigree, we would not give OSU the benefit of the doubt.

Now that IU has completed its shocking run, reflection as to the best playoff format will marinate in the off season.  12 teams is a nice number for a playoff.  Likely, the schedule should be moved up so that the season ends before January 19, but that is a detail.

Big 10 honcho, Tony Pettiti, wants to expand the playoff to 24 teams with oodles of automatic qualifiers.  Just the latest example as to how stupid the human species can be.  College football has always had the best regular season of virtually any sport.  Now, 24-team proponents want to see 8-4 teams in the playoff?!?!  No THANK YOU!

This preeoccupation with the playoff and its unwarranted expansion devalues the regular season and rivalry games.  STOP THE INSANITY NOW!!

Elvis was born in Tupelo, Mississippi.  “Heartbreak Hotel” was one of his signature songs.  How appropriate for the Ole Miss fans today!!  The Odyssey is heart broken.

The Rebels were outplayed for most of last night’s game against Miami.  The Hurricanes had the ball for a whopping 42 minutes.  Miami converted 13 0f 21 plays on 3rd or 4th down, compared to 2 of 10 for Ole Miss.  Yet the gritty Rebels fought back to take a 27-24 lead with 5 minutes to go.  The Rebs’ star QB, Trinidad Chambliss, had come alive behind an offensive line that had surprisingly neutralized Miami’s awesome defensive ends.

Give Carson Beck and the Hurricanes credit for a season-saving drive to win the game with a Beck scramble with 15 seconds to go.  Still, the redoubtable Chambliss threw two passes to put Ole Miss in position for a Hail Mary.  Sure, there was pass interference on the game’s final play, but as so often happens in key moments, the referees swallowed their whistles.

For the Odyssey, this was more than a football game.  While we drove from San DIego to be in attendance last night, this was no less than a morality play.  We were upset at the way that Lane Kiffin departed, especially to the Rebels’ arch rival.  What a delicious story if the Ole Miss saga continued on a winning note.

Miami was the better team last night.  But can you blame us for wanting the continuation of a great story?

Lane Kiffin may post a heart break emoji today.  But there had to be a big part of him to hope the Rebels lost.  Can you imagine his legacy if Ole Miss actually kept winning???  Damn, so close.

A lot of experts correctly note that that college football has undergone a profound sea change in recent years.  No f*cking kidding!  Before NIL and the transfer portal, the Alabamas of the world could stockpile stellar recruiting classes on top of each other.  Such reality meant that the caste system in college football was firmly in place.

Such talent imbalance still happens but the underdog now has more remedies.  Recruiting rankings implied that Alabama should have been a huge favorite over Indiana.  The Crimoson Tide had no less than 57 players who had been tabbed as 4-star or 5-star recruits.  Indiana had only 8.  Final score:  IU 38, Alabama 3 in a blowout!  How is this huanly possible?

IU Coach Curt Cignetti had to be a fantastic talent evaluator in all his transfer portal pickups the past 2 years.  Nothing short of breathtaking.  The Cignetti mantra:  “I take production over potential.”

As brilliant as Cignetti is in all facets, he does not stand alone in the realm of awesome talent evaluation.  Whatever one thinks of the mercurial Lane Kiffin, transfer additions have propelled Ole Miss in recent years.  Consider their 2  superstars in the backfield, Trinidad Chambliss and Kewan Lacy.  Chambliss was recruited out of D-2 Ferris State to be a backup as Oxford local, Austin Simmons, was bequeathed the QB job.  Then, Simmons got hurt as he proceeded to become the 21st century version of Wally Pipp.  Lacy was an underutilized running back on 2024’s Mizzou squad, being limited to a paltry  24 carries.  Missouri had stars in its eyes when they garnered one of the most coveted transfer portal jewels in ULM’s Ahmad Hardy.  Impact on Lacy:  :Goodbye Columbis, Hello Oxford.

There would be great irony if the two biggest winners in the transfer portal met each other for the national championship.  In the upside down, bizarro world of college football, that would be quite fitting!

The concept of Failing Forward was perfected by the new LSU coach, Lane Kiffin.  After AL Davis bad mouthed him and fired Kiffin from the Raiders, Kiffin found gigs at Tennessee and then USC!

The University of Michigan can relate.  The jury was still out on Sherrone Moore.  Obviously, one of Moore’s body parts was also out.  Frequently!   When Kyle Whittingham was hired to be the new boss in Ann Arbor, nobody has any doubts about his coaching chops.  Whittingham’s Utah teams faced Michigan 3 times, twice in Ann Arbor.  Even with arguably lesser personnel, Utah went 3-0 against the Maize and Blue.  If that is not testimony enough, consider that Michigan has only beat Utah once, 10-7, in 2002.  Whittingham was on the Utah staff that stymied UM’s offense.  Thus, each time Michigan has faced Utah, Willingham’s troops shone.

If Whittingham can hang on to most of Michigan’s young, talented roster in the next week, Moore’s indiscretions will be a God send.

The Odyssey’s initial reaction to the staffer with whom Moore had an affair was quite negative.  It appears that she finally pulled the plug and Moore and fessed up to the Michigan AD when it served her purpose.   But what does the Odyssey really know?  Initially, we wanted UM to do the impossible – how can you fire a whistle blower without legal reprecussions?  Given the Whittingham hire, our opinion has changed.   She was brilliant and deserves a raise!!

With playoff expansion, an increasing train of thought is that the other bowls are pretty useless.  Often true, but yesterday’s Hawaii Bowl provided ample evidence to the contrary.  Hawaii roared back from a 21-0 deficit to Cal, winning with a last-minute, 22 yard TD pass, triumphing 35-31.

This ending was gripping enough but the circumstances were even more extraordinary.  Hawaii QB, Micah Alejado, took a hard hit as Hawaii was driving for a tying field goal or game winning TD.  In comes backup QB, Luke Weaver, whose only pass happened to be the game winning 22-yard strike in the corner of the end zone.

Hawaii capped a turnaround year which was bookended by wins over the ACC’s two Bay Area squads, Stanford and Cal.  In his fourth year, Timmy Chang has gradually increased the fortunes of the Rainbow Warriors as the stench of the Todd Graham era has gradually dissapated.  Hardly any Group of 6 teams can claim 2 victories over the Power 4.  Hawaii’s ascent is even more impressive given that the financial resources of the Rainbow Warriors are limited.

The Hawaii comeback spoiled the homecoming of star Cal freshman QB, Jaron-Keawe Sagopoutele.  JKS threw for 353 yardss and has warmed Cal hearts by announcing his return to Strawberry Canyon in 2026.

If you told Timmy Chang today that non-playoff bowls do not matter,he might just shake his head and skoff.

TJ Finley is pursuing a 7th year of eligibility so he can play for a (drumroll, please!) 7th program!!

Even in the mind-numbing, insta-transfer portal era, this possibility is beyond the realm!

Let’s check TJ’s program history:

LSU                     2020

Auburn                2021-2022

Texas State          2023

Western Ky          2024

Tulane                   Spring 2025

Georgia State        2025

Finley’s career started out so well in Baton Rouge.  In his first start against South Carolina he threw for 285 yards on 17 for 21 passing.  However, character issues helped compromise his unprecedented odyssey.  At 2 of his stops, he was arrested:  once for evading police and one drug-related arrest.

The Odyssey will be very, very curious if Mr. Finley plays ball in 2026.

UConn football has dealt with unsettling news since concluding a successful 9-3 campaign which included a win over ACC champ Duke.

Head coach Jim Mora left Storrs for a venue, Colorado State, that has not had any true success since its long gone Sonny Lubick days.  Theirt two offensive superstars, QB Joe Fergano and WR Skyler Bell, have opted out of its upcoming Fenway Bowl game against Army.

So, we propose that their 2025  season be instantly transported back to 1995.  In which case, UConn would be celebrating an undefeated season with a 9-0-3 mark.   Overtime in college football was implemented in 1996. Amazingly, all 3 Huskie losses this year were in overtime.  OK, we are being party poopers in mentioning that their 3 overtime losses were not to a murderer’s row of opponents (Syracuse, Delaware and RIce) but, still, undefeated is undefeated.

So, UConn fans, we are delighted to transport you back to 1995.   Happy Holidays!