College Football Odyssey

The term “GU” often comes up in the dating realm.  A potential boyfriend/girlfriend may have a lot of potential but if they are GU (geographically undesirable), the relationship  may never get off the ground.

Mike Leach is the coaching king of GU status.  His head coaching stints:  Texas Tech, Washington State and Mississippi state

For college football fans, some FBS venues are VERY GU.  Based on the Odyssey’s extensive travels, we offer the fifteen venues that are GU among FBS programs, with #1 being the most GU.

1. Louisiana Monroe
2. Louisiana Tech
3. Penn State
4. Clemson
5. Arkansas
6. Southern Miss
7. Utah State
8. Texas Tech
9. Virginia Tech
10. Washington State
11. Georgia Southern
12. Kansas State
13. Arkansas State
14. Mississippi State
15. Louisiana Lafayette      The Odyssey bows down to any fan who has watched a game at more than two of these venues

The Odyssey proudly attended four (!) of these venues in 2023.  HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!

I thought (mistakenly, as it turns out) that the hubbub about the CFP Selections would have died down by now:  But, NO!

Yesterday, at the bridge table, I heard another dark comment about Alabama’s inclusion.

Let’s put this to rest with a few simple statements.  Depending on your selection criteria, the choices were clear:

If resume based, Florida State deserves to be in.  That means Texas is also in based on its triumph in Tuscaloosa.  Simple!

If based on best 4 teams, Alabama deserves to be in, despite its near calamity at War Eagle.  The Tide beat the #1 team, in its home state, for the SEC title.  If Alabama were to face a Florida State team today without Jordan Travis, the Tide would be roughly a touchdown favorite.  Still pretty simple!  If Alabama is in, Texas is in.

One fact that should be mentioned MORE.  Every college football fan should want elite teams to play elite schedules.  Certainly, ESPN and Fox should also crave that.  For example, Michigan fans can be  excused for not paying any attention to the Wolverines until Game 10.  Alabama could have scheduled Cupcake U instead of Texas.  In which case, Alabama would be undefeated today.  In a close case, Roll Tide should not be punished for scheduling Longhorn U.

Last, the Odyssey does not want Donald Trump going around the Country saying “FAKE CHAMPION, FAKE CHAMPION” if the SEC were excluded.  The CFP without a decent SEC champ is like:

Cain without Abel

Laurel without Hardy

Romeo without Juliet

Tinker without either Evers or Chance

Taylor Swift without Travis Kelce

You get the idea! (Plus, Las Vegas has the wrong team favored in the upcoming Rose Bowl tilt)

Florida State fans and the talking heads on the ACC Network are 100% aligned on one topic:  The undefeated Seminoles got royally shafted!  FSU was supplanted by Jesus Christ II and Jesus Christ III:  Nick Saban and the SEC.  You can decide who deserves the II and the III.

ESPN’s Gameday last Saturday provided a platform for Greg Sankey to pitch the virtues of the SEC:  “It Only Means More” and a reference to “Sesame Street” etc.  Sankey was lobbying for 2 SEC teams in the Final Four.  Sankey’s podium was not coincidental as the SEC is one of the big money spinners for Disney’s ESPN.

When Florida State got pushed aside, we reflected on the ACC’s record against the SEC in 2023:  6-4.  Sankey did not mention that.  Nor that the Seminoles had triumphed over 2 traditional SEC powers in LSU and Florida (neither in Tallahassee).  Hmmmm.  Who was the head of the 13-person committee who anointed Alabama as #4:  None other than the Athletic Director of North Carolina State: Boo Corrigan.  To FSU faithful, his first name is so apropos:  BOO!!!

Nobody from the ACC was politicking on Gameday or Fox.  A big mistake?  North Carolina State had drawn the ire of Florida State earlier in 2023.  For a period, four schools had effectively blocked the addition of Stanford, SMU and Cal into the ACC.  The objecting quartet:  FSU, Clemson, North Carolina and North Carolina State.  FSU’s prior objections about the ACC not having enough “upper tier pedigree” would be aggravated by the potential addition of these 3 schools.  Stanford and SMU cannot draw flies to their games with Cal only marginally better.   Objections also seemed justified on geographics.

However, the ACC execs kept at it.  The honchos were horrified by the inexplicable demise of the Pac 12 and wanted reinforcements.  Plus, the new trio were willing to take a financial haircut so that the existing 14 members could annually make a few more million apiece in the near term.  Eventually, North Carolina State flipped its vote, resulting in enough ayes to produce an unwieldy 17-team conference.

So, NC State is clearly not on FSU’s Christmas card list.  The Odyssey remembers one of the most shocking upsets in Florida State history.  FSU’s first decade in the ACC resulted in the Noles running roughshod over the ACC.  One of the very few exceptions was a 1998 night in Raleigh.  FSU was favored by 25 points.  The spread seemed justified when the Seminoles quickly scored a touchdown.  The balance of the game morphed into an interception-marred nightmare for Florida State.  Final score:  NC State 24, FSU 7.

Massive irony presents itself in FSU’s current massive discontent with NC State and the ACC, in general.   None other than their icon, Bobby Bowden, rejected the idea of FSU joining the SEC 30+ years ago when the door was open.  Bowden wanted an easier path.

When Ohio State loses 3 in a row to TTUN, craziness results.

Example:  Ohio State loses 3 straight to Bo in 1976-78.  Woody, always on the brink, goes totally haywire.  This provides some explanation as to why he slugged Clemson’s Charlie Bauman in the Gator Bowl after Bauman’s interception.  The third loss drove Woody terminally insane.  Any competent defense lawyer would have got Woody off from potential assault charges due to the insanity plea.

Fast forward to 2023.  Ohio State, with better talent, has lost 3 straight to TTUN.  By entering the transfer portal, the Buckeyes’ starting QB, Kyle McCord, has just abandoned ship from one of the very most glamourous positions in college football:  Ohio State QB.  Why this position is almost as sought as the OSU trombone player who gets to dot the “i.”  Either Mc Cord clearly did not have a 100% vote of approval from the coaching staff or he wanted to get the hell away from deranged Buckeye faithful.

The Odyssey had a weird thought in the light of his surprising announcement.  Suppose JJ McCarthy goes pro.  Further suppose that the Wolverines think that their coveted Class of 2024 recruit, Jadyn Davis, will not be quite ready to take the reins in 2024.  McCord transfers to, GASP, the Darth Vader of the entire Ohio State universe.  McCord leads the Maize and Blue to victory in Columbus.  Wouldn’t that be the all-time topper in the current bizarro world of college football?

While hilarious, the Odyssey certainly wishes this set of possibilities does not come to pass.  There are already enough mental health issues in Columbus.

Massive domestic turbulence in the South has been avoided this afternoon.  Thank God!

The Montgomery Alabama police can stand down.  Whew!

If the SEC champion, Alabama, had been snubbed, as many predicted, chaos in the Confederacy might have resurfaced 158 years after Appomattox.  The great, great, great, great, great grandson of Jefferson Davis was prepared to do what Jefferson Davis in 1861 on the steps of the Montgomery capitol.   Crowds had been amassing in Montgomery this morning.  If Alabama had been snubbed, the TIDE to again secede from the union would have been strong.  How could the vaunted, dominant SEC ever be shut out of the playoff was the mantra of the growing Sunday crowd in Montgomery.

America has already become polarized.  The Odyssey is truly thankful that a potential crisis of unknown proportion has been avoided.  Double whew!

An integral part of college football is the passion of its fans.

A great example is Ohio State uber fan Nique Dennis.  Go to youtube.com and search for “Nique Dennis Ohio State-Michigan” after THE game each of the past 2 years.  I guarantee you will not be disappointed in his podcasts.

Saturday night in the ATL marked the Odyssey’s first Georgia-Georgia Tech tilt.  One shocking episode occurred before opening kick.  I was wearing a Michigan hat to celebrate the Maize and Blue’s 3rd straight win over the Buckeyes.  Security only let me enter after I was the victim of an invasive body search and had to  check my cell phone with security.

“Would I be so obvious if I was trying to steal Georgia’s signs?” I heatedly complained.  “And why would Georgia Tech care?  They ain’t going to the playoff!”  This whole sign stealing saga was getting out of hand.  First, stealing signs is as American as apple pie.  Second, Ryan Day has no more excuses.  Day could always say that Buckeye drubbings of 2021 and 2022 were entirely due to Connor Stalions and his evil confederates.   What now?  The Odyssey is only guessing that the Buckeyes changed their signals.  What was interesting was that Day cut his post-game press conference short.  While we can understand his pain, rumors surfaced that his next act was to call Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz to give him the lowdown on the signals used by The Team Up North.

Can we please get back to football and stop talk about about how deep the conspiracy goes in Ann Arbor?

Please!!  Georgia’s winning streak was extended to 29 (and its regular season streak extended to 39 as its last loss was to Bama in the 2021 SEC championship game).  But the Peach State’s rivalry game was not a walk in the park for the Bulldogs.  Tech actually held a lead of 10-7 at the end of the first quarter, fueled by an early pick that led to their touchdown. Georgia reasserted control with 252 rushing yards.  Tech’s run defense has been a major issue all year for the Yellow Jackets.

In a year of coaching blunders, Kirby Smart committed a felony up 31-16 with 10 minutes to go.  With third and goal  at the GT5, a chip shot field goal would have made for a 3-possession game.  Inexplicably, Carson Beck threw a pass that was picked off.  Tech marched down the field behind the very capable hands of QB Haynes King to make it a very interesting 31-23 affair.  Tech’s onside kick was recovered by the Dawgs.  A couple first downs salted away the game for the hometown Bulldogs.

Oh, wait, did I say hometown?  Well, it seemed like it as about 70% of the fans were dressed out in red. The prevalence of support for the road team reminded me of Kansas State home games against Big Red in the pre-Bill Snyder days where woeful KSU teams had to contend with hordes crossing the state line to root on their beloved Huskers.

Georgia seemed human Saturday night.  The Dawgs had no semblance of a pass rush and surrendered more than 200 yards on the ground.  Now, Georgia Tech is not chopped liver and is clearly on the rise under Brent Key (thank God, GT showed Geoff Collins the door in 2022!).  Even if we factor in the notable absence of super duper receivers, Brock Bowers and Ladd McConkey,  the idea of Georgia being unbeatable was Ludacris, a faint shadow of the squad that looked invulnerable in blowouts of Ole Miss, Tennessee and Kentucky (Ludacris was on stage for a pre-game concert).

So beatable that the Odyssey has changed its opinion of the playoff winner.  Our current choice is not even ranked in the top 4:  Oregon!

Strange things happen in the world.  If you have told me that there would be a season where the Odyssey (based in San Diego) would be on hand for Georgia Tech’s opener against Louisville and the Yellow Jackets’ finale against Georgia, I would have looked at you funny.  My son’s Senior year at Emory helps explain this unexpected development.

Indeed, the Odyssey will be at Bobby Dodd Stadium Saturday night to see if Georgia Tech can put any fear into Georgia.  Las Vegas does not think so as the Bulldogs are 24 point favorites.  Georgia comes to Atlanta riding a 28-game winning streak.  Georgia Tech is one of the more unpredictable teams of 2023.  How can a team beat two ranked teams (Miami and North Carolina) but get blown out at home by Bowling Green?

Georgia Tech’s offense has playmakers, highlighted by QB Haynes King.  However, GT’s run defense has been porous.  Carson Beck may not have to flash his arm for Georgia to score plenty.  The Odyssey fully expects the Bulldogs to end at north of 40 points.  While Georgia looked vulnerable in early season contests against South Carolina and Auburn, last weeks’s mauling of Tennessee reinforced that these are Top Dawgs.

Regardless, the Odyssey cannot wait to see the Rambling Wreck!!

A rarity Saturday in Corvallis:  How often does a 10-0 team play a conference foe with multiple losses and is pegged as an underdog (Our research staff would normally have found the answer but they are busy researching the favorite binocular brand of Connor Stalions).  Welcome to Washington at Oregon State.

To demonstrate that the 2023 version of the Pac 12 deeper than Lake Tahoe, Oregon State’s 2 narrow losses were road tilts at supposed lesser lights in the Conference, Arizona and Washington State.    As the visit to Corvallis may be the last by Purple Reign, the Beaver fans will be in very full force.  Washington’s string of narrow wins will come to an end as the combination of Oregon State’s vaunted running attack and their frenzied faithful will trump the Huskies’ passing wizardry.

The Odyssey also wonders if there will be any impact on UW having played two tight games against quality opponents the previous 2 Saturdays in USC and Utah.  A third straight tough game is asking a lot of the Huskies.  Ask Notre Dame:  After the Irish went down to the wire against Ohio State and Duke, the next Saturday Notre Dame visited Louisville and played their worst game of the year.

Speaking of underdogs, we believe that Jim Harbaugh may also be one in his Washtenaw County court appearance tomorrow.  Temporary Restraining Orders are not a dime a dozen.  Of course, one can never discount home field advantage and the quirkiness of Washtenaw County.  One of the County’s “claims to fame” was that they were the sole Michigan County where George McGovern prevailed in his 1972 wipeout by Tricky Dick.  The last name of the presiding Judge is Connors.  Is that karma or what??

The Michigan sign-stealing scandal sucked a lot of oxygen out of a pivotal Top 10 matchup at Happy Valley.  The Odyssey is unclear as to how guilty Michigan (seems pretty guilty of a relatively innocuous offense).  However, the manner in which the Big 10 and Tony Pettiti handled this matter was a problem.  How could Jim Harbaugh and Company get on the plane Friday to Penn State without knowing the fate of their head coach?  The cynic in us strongly suspects that the 12th-hour timing was deliberate.  Michigan had made it clear to the Big 10 office that their would be an attempted legal response to any potential punishment.  So, the Big 10 waits until the very last day before a huge game, knowing that the courts would be closed in honor of Veterans’ Day.  Slimy!  Also, if there is any doubt as to guilt of Connor Stalions & Company, Michigan’s request for a hearing is quite reasonable.  Instead, Pettiti attempted to tilt the axis of the Big 10 title away from Michigan by removing a terrific coach at the very 12th hour.

The Big 10 should already on the sh*t list for any fan of college football.  The Big 10’s role in destroying the Pac 12 is obvious.  Clearly, the welfare of the student athletes was not on their mind due to the increased travel.  If there is any justice, maybe the Big 10 can arrange for the athletes to get oodles of frequent flyer miles.  The least they can do!

Want more Big 10 hypocrisy?  Michigan State Athletic Director, Alan Haller, decried Michigan’s use of sign stealing, claiming that additional knowledge made the Spartan players more vulnerable to injury.  Really??  Ah, Michigan State, that beacon of integrity.  Sparty is currently trying to rid itself of an $80 million dollar obligation to Masturbating Mel because they did not like MSU’s 2022 record or the fact that Tucker could not keep Sparty’s starting QB and star wide receiver from transferring.

Not all of our angst is targeted at the movers and shakers in college football.  The selfishness of some athletes is nauseous.  Two cases in point.  After the first month, M.J. Morris inherited the starting QB job at North Carolina State as Brennan Armstrong continued his regression from an outstanding 2021.  This week, he basically quit, indicating that he did not want to play in more than 4 games so he could preserve his redshirt.  Morris’ dad sent out a tweet that the assumption that his son would enter the transfer portal is premature.  Get real, daddy!  Why would a proud program like NC State want a QB who bailed on his team??

The decision by Boise State’s leading receiver, Sophomore Eric McAlister, to shut it down this week was equally perplexing.  If McAlister was going to head into the transfer portal, that portal does not open until December.  Why not play the season out with his teammates?  Or did McAlister want to have some weeks of pre-portal marketing for the biggest payday?  All very depressing.

The Odyssey deeply appreciates the exciting games but the collateral crap really gives us a headache.  We believe that most fans want to believe that the players wearing their colors have some love of their school and their teammates.  Too often, that belief is being trashed in 2023.