Random Thoughts Week CFP: A Thriller and A Thrashing

The semifinals brought some real drama. One game was a nail-biter that went down to who held the ball last. The other was a dominating blowout.

Miami-FL 31 Ole Miss 27 – An exciting game came down to clock management and Mario Cristobal’s experience won out.

Following a third quarter that produced only three points, the final frame was a whirlwind of activity. With 8 minutes remaining, OM had a 1st & goal at Mia 8, but had to settle for a field goal to take a 19-17 lead. The Hurricanes responded with a 4 play 75 yards touchdown drive. The Rebels got the ball back with 5 minutes to go. Many broadcasters and tweeters concluded that this drive could be the final one of the game should the Rebels play their cards right. The Black Shark Ackbar Bears scored a touchdown and a two point conversion for a 27-24 advantage. However, they bled only 1:51 off the clock. On the other side, the ‘Canes took 15 plays to travel 75 yards that resulted in an unlikely scramble touchdown by Carson Beck.

With 18 ticks left on the clock, OM’s Trinidad Chambliss made a valiant effort to get into scoring position with completions of 23 and 17 yards. The final pass from 35 yards out into the end zone fell harmlessly to the ground.

The only good thing that would come out of a Miami-FL championship would be UGA fans melting down over cast-off Beck hoisting the Big Beer Tap Trophy.

Indiana 56 Oregon 22 – Alabama fans are not happy about the way their season ended, but they can feel solace in the fact that the Tide was not the only one taken to the woodshed.

This game felt like it was over after three seconds of play when Ducks quarterback threw a pass right into the loving arms of a Hoosier defender who returned the ball for a touchdown. OU would tie it up on their next possession but then IU opened up a can of whup-ass. The two teams went into the locker room 35-7 Indiana. From there, it was cruise control. Oregon scored a garbage touchdown with 22 ticks remaining to make it look slightly closer.

Fernando Mendoza was an efficient 17/20 for 177 yards, 5 TDs and no turnovers.

IT’S HARD NOT TO LIKE THIS GUY

People like to ask “what is wrong with this guy? Why doesn’t he ever smile?” You might recall they used to say the same thing about another college football head coach and he won seven National Championships. Curt Cignetti is a throwback coach. He’s intense. He’s focused. And he expects perfection. It should be no surprise that he is in the final game with one of the losingest D-I college football programs of all-time.

Cignetti is also one of the smartest leaders of a college football program. He was able to see the landscape of the sport and build his team based on it. Not only are most of his players older than Bryce Young, they are also transfers. 13 of the Hoosiers’ starting 22 transferred into the program. Cignetti has created the blueprint, but unfortunately not every program can follow it. The biggest part of the equation is having an A-hole billionaire or two to fund the whole thing. For Indy, it’s mega-jerk Mark Cuban. For Miami-FL, its shady-ass John Ruiz (MSP Recovery, LifeWallet).

Imagine if the NFL had no draft, no salary caps, and only one year contracts. That is what college football is now and it needs to change. [Interesting thread read when you have time.↓↓↓]

BLOWN COVERAGE OF THE WEEK

PAYBACK?

A season ago, a Fernando Mendoza-led Cal team had a 35-10 advantage on Miami-FL, but the ‘Canes stormed back to win 39-38. According to @RedditCFB, Miami was “aided both by some true Miami heroics, and the ACC refs rigging the outcome. The controversy led to the ACC’s transparent review process this year. The most controversial play was a textbook targeting from Miami LB Wesley Bissainthe that nearly decapitated Cal QB Fernando Mendoza, for which no flag was thrown, forcing a Cal punt and a Cam Ward game-winner.”

NOT JUST MENDOZA’S HOMECOMING

Mendoza and his kid brother Alberto are not the only Hoosiers from Miami. Both starting corners, Jamari Sharpe and D’Angelo Ponds, who had the game-opening pick-6 against Oregon, are also from the Miami area.

FIELD GOAL OF THE WEEK

DOINK OF THE WEEK

THE GOOD KIND OF DOINK

BUTTER FINGERS OF THE WEEK

I lost count. The Hurricanes dropped at least four interceptions.

MISSED OPPORTUNITY OF THE WEEK

Watch #4 on the right.

WWSD OF THE WEEK

[What Would Saban Do?]

WORST DEKE OF THE WEEK

IMPOTENCE OF THE WEEK

FANS OF THE WEEK

The Hoos packed Atlanta’s dome.

DUCKS ARE OUT OF SEASON

DERP OF THE WEEK

DERP OF THE WEEK, Part Deux

BEST NON-CATCH OF THE WEEK

He was ruled out of bounds, but DANG!

A FEW GRAY HAIRS?

TARGETING OR NOT?

GRUMPY OLD MAN OF THE WEEK

Yup. Same recruiting class as third year pro Bryce Young.

NAME OF THE WEEK

Shoulda been a basketball player.

STATS OF THE WEEK

• Through two CFP games, Indy QB Fernando Mendoza had more touchdowns thrown (8) than incompletions (5).

THE WACKY WORLD OF CORSO

It is kinda sad that Lee Corso was not available to be a part of College GameDay with Indiana’s magical run to one of the most unlikeliest Championships ever. He coached the Hoosiers from 1973 to 1982.

The GameDay this past week was a calmer, tamer, pregame sort with mercifully no guest pickers and no idiots taking off their shirts in front of teenagers.

ADOPT-A-TEAM

• Georgia Tech – The Yeller Jackets have nabbed former Alabama edge rusher Noah Carter, OL Joseph Ionata, and WR/DB Jaylen Mbakwe out of the Transfer Portal.
• WMU – Former 3-star LB Brenden Anes is transferring from Tennessee to the Broncos. The rising true sophomore played in all 12 games during the regular season for the Vols, primarily on special teams.
• Southern Miss – Over a dozen Golden Eagles have left with Charles Huff for Memphis. USM lost All-Sun Belt First Team LB Chris Jones to Clemson.

SALUTE TO OUR TROOPS

ELIMINATED FROM PLAYOFF CONTENTION

Eliminated: Washington State, Oregon State, Boston College, Cal, Clemson, FSU, Georgia Tech, Louisville, UNC, NC State, SMU, Stanford, Syracuse, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, Pitt, Arizona State, Arizona, Baylor, Center Florida, Cincinnati, Colorado, Houston, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, TCU, West Virginia, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Sparty, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Penn State, Purdue, Rutgers, Southern Cal, UCLA, Washington, Wisconsin, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Kentucky, LSU, Miss State, Mizz, South Carolina, Tennessee, Tejas, BYU, Vanderbilt, Virginia, Duke, Utah, NOTRE DAME!!!!, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, JMU, Tulane, Ohio State, Georgia, Texa$ Tech, Alabama, Oregon, Ole Miss

Still Alive: Indiana, Miami-FL

A wayWAYWAYtoo early look at the College Football Playoff (CFP) picture

RANK ‘EM IF YOU GOT ‘EM

Val Kilmer Movies
R.I.P. Iceman

1. Tombstone – Underrated performance.
2. The Doors
3. Top Gun – Ranked third only because most of the focus was on Tom Cruise.
4. Real Genius
5. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
6. Heat
7. The Salton Sea
8. Top Secret!
9. Willow
10. The Ghost and the Darkness

I would have included Batman Forever, but the direction of that movie was SOOO bad.

LET’S GO BOWLING!

• Only one teams remains undefeated: Indiana.

LET’S GO BLOWING!

• Damn, SEC.

Krazy Kristi’s “SHUT UP!” of the Week goes to the executives and celebrity interlopers trying to take over and shmoozing their way into college football’s spotlight.

You have to respect Cristobal’s disinterest in the trophy, but the real thing to point out here is what in the heck are all those suits doing up on the stage trying glory grab?

The second part is the price tags for the final game. Who can afford to drop five digits on a ticket for a football game? Certainly not students. Even $3K is a ridiculous price. You would have to move that decimal point one space to the left before I would even consider such a purchase. The result is, that it will be a bunch of overpaid celebrities, hedge funders, agents, OnlyFans models, schemers, and silver spoon nepo babies 1 percenters who probably couldn’t even name a single player on either team.

RETURNING

• Florida running back Jadan Baugh is returning to the Swamp for a reported $1 million. Ridiculous.
• BYU running back LJ Martin, the Big 12’s leading rusher and offensive player of the year, will return to the Cougars for his senior season.

PORTALLING

• NC State RB Hollywood Smothers lived up to the morals of his nickname and flipped his commitment from Alabama for a bigger paycheck in Texas. Karma worked swiftly for Texas as freshman RB Christian Clark – who just ran for 100 yards in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl for the Longhorns after Quintrevion Wisner peaced out – said ‘F that’ and entered the Transfer Portal.
• Auburn transfer QB Deuce Knight has committed to Ole Miss.
• Aubie WR Cam Coleman went to the highest bidder, Texas. To my recollection, there has never been a significant football transfer from Auburn to Alabama.
• Florida State landed Auburn transfer QB Ashton Daniels. I am sure FSU appreciates Aubie not playing him against Mercer so that they get another year out of him. LOL
• UNLV transfer quarterback Anthony Colandrea has committed to Nebraska.
• Former Oklahoma and Auburn QB Jackson Arnold will take Colandrea’s place with the Runnin’ Rebs.
• Psychopath-Patrick Mahomes-fanboy Dylan Raiola has committed to Oregon. Starting Ducks QB DanteMoore has yet to announce a decision on his future.

• LSU beat Tennessee over the scraps that is former Arizona State QB Sam Leavitt.
• Colorado star offensive tackle Jordan Seaton is leaving the program. There will be an intense bidding war for the 6-foot-5, 330-pound sophomore. He was a 5-star prospect in 2024 with Alabama, Florida, Tennessee, and anOhio State all originally getting visits along with the Buffs. Sadly, he fell for the Deion Sanders hype B.S. After two years and 22 starts at left tackle, he is looking for greener pastures. Side Note: Seaton was an IMG teammate of new Tide lineman Kaden Strayhorn in 2023.
• Texas RS-freshman wide receiver and Arch Manning roommate Parker Livingstone is going to rival Oklahoma. Weird. As the ’Horns’ third leading receiver, he caught 29 passes from his roomie for 516 yards and 6 TD.
• Mizz QB Beau Pribula downgrades to Virginia.
• RB Justice Haynes is back in the TP. Whoever takes him gets the good with the bad. The good is that he can occasionally bust a long run. The bad is the rest of the time, he runs into the line for nothing or small gains and that he gets injured… A LOT. He gained 857 yards and scored 10 touchdowns for Michigan this season, but he was only healthy for 7 games and has not played since Oct 25 against Sparty.
• Ohio State has 30 players in the portal. It seems like the funds that bought last year’s championship has dried up.

NOTABLE NFL DECLARATIONS

• anOhio State wide receiver Carnell Tate announced on social media that is leaving school early and declaring for the NFL draft. He caught 51 passes for 875 yards and nine touchdowns for Ohio State this year.
• The Buckys are also losing linebacker Arvell Reese to the draft.
• Also going pro from the Buckets is safety Caleb “Benedict Arnold” Downs. I wish him nothing but luck. All bad, of course.
• Well looky here. Another Buckle is leaving school early and declaring for the NFL draft: unanimous All-American and the Big Ten’s Defensive Lineman of the Year Kayden McDonald.

DRAMARAMA

• Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman has been accused of battery of a assistant wrestling coach at after his son’shigh school match. Police reviewed video of the incident and sent the case to the St. Joseph County prosecutor’s office. Not too many details have been released but it sounds like Freeman’s son got yelled at and helicopter mommy and daddy thought they needed to intervene.

• After thoughtful reflection… QB Demond Williams realized he had no chance in hell winning a case against Washington after he announced via social media his intent to transfer just days after signing a contract with the school that sources indicated was ridiculously in the mid-$4 million range for 2026. That decision did not sit too well with UW and they made it perfectly clear that they intended to pursue legal actions to enforce Williams’ contract. Scumbag lawyer Darren Heitner was going to represent him, but that did not last too long. During the Ole Miss-Miami(FL) game, Williams announced with the above post on Instagram that he was returning to the Huskies less than 48 hours later. I am sure he is going to be REAL popular in the locker room.
• Well, whadda ya know. Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss’s appeal for another season of eligibility was totally based on B.S., just as we speculated.

NCAA statement on Trinidad Chambliss: In November, Ole Miss filed a waiver request for football student-athlete Trinidad Chambliss, seeking to extend his five-year Division I eligibility clock, citing an incapacitating illness or injury. Approval requires schools to submit medical documentation provided by a treating physician at the time of a student’s incapacitating injury or illness, which was not provided. The documents provided by Ole Miss and the student’s prior school include a physician’s note from a December 2022 visit, which stated the student-athlete was “doing very well” since he was seen in August 2022.

Additionally, the student-athlete’s prior school indicated it had no documentation on medical treatment, injury reports or medical conditions involving the student-athlete during that time frame and cited “developmental needs and our team’s competitive circumstances” as its reason the student-athlete did not play in the 2022-23 season. The waiver request was denied.

This decision aligns with consistent application of NCAA rules. So far this academic year, the NCAA has received 784 clock extension requests (438 in football). Of those, 25 cases cited an incapacitating injury (nine in football). The NCAA approved 15 of those (six in football), and all 15 provided medical documentation from the time of the injury. Conversely, all 10 that were denied (three in football) did not provide the required medical documentation.

To receive a clock extension, a student-athlete must have been denied two seasons of competition for reasons beyond the student’s or school’s control, and a “redshirt” year can be used only once. One of the rules being cited publicly (Bylaw 12.6.4.2.2) is not the correct rule for the type of waiver requested by the school. Ole Miss applied for the waiver in November, and the NCAA first provided a verbal denial Dec. 8.

• The NCAA also denied 25-year old UVa QB Chandler Morris’s bid for a ridiculous seventh year of eligibility. This loser has played for four different team over six seasons and thrown passes in each of those seasons. He is trying to retroactively file for a medical redshirt from 2022. If it is not already on the books, the NCAA needs a rule that says you must file after that season is completed and before the new one arrives.
• Billionaire a-hole and Indiana alum Mark Cuban has made another big donation to Hoosiers’ transfer portal war chest and it is paying off. So far, Indy has picked up TCU starting QB Josh Hoover, Michigan State WR Nick Marsh (662 yards and six touchdowns), and Boston College RB Turbo Richard (749 yards and nine touchdowns) among others.
• To date, Dabo Swinney has excepted eight transfers to Clemson. It must be eating his poor soul up inside.

WAIT. WHAT?

• What the bleep is Alabama doing with all this profit-sharing B.S.? Even with Nick Saban off doing dumb AFLAC commercials, the Crimson Tide is still by far the most viewed college football team. They have leverage. It is time for a new deal.

KOACHES KORNER

Unless something wacky happens in the next several months, the coaching carousel should be coming to a full stop. FBS had 32 changes at head coach.

• Coaching Carousel:
  • Arkansas > Ryan Silverfield
  • Auburn > Alex Golesh
  • Cal > Tosh Lupoi
  • Coastal Carolina > Ryan Beard
  • Colorado State > Jim Mora, The Younger
  • Florida > Jon Sumrall
  • JMU > Billy Napier
  • K-State > Collin Klein
  • Kent State > Mark Carney
  • Kentucky > Will Stein
  • LSU > Lane Kiffin
  • Memphis > Charles Huff
  • Michigan – Kyle Whittingham
  • Michigan State > Pat Fitzgerald
  • Missouri State – Casey Woods
  • North Texas > Neal Brown
  • Ohio – John Hauser
  • Oklahoma State > Eric Morris
  • Ole Miss > Pete Golding
  • Oregon State > JaMarcus Shephard
  • Penn State > Matt Campbell
  • South Florida > Brian Hartline
  • Southern Miss > Blake Anderson
  • Stanford > Tavita Pritchard
  • Toledo > Mike Jacobs
  • Tulane > Will Hall
  • UAB > Alex Mortensen
  • UCLA > Bob Chesney
  • UConn > Jason Candle
  • Utah > Morgan Scalley
  • Virginia Tech > James Franklin
  • Washington State > Jimmy Rogers

• Curt Cignetti is expected to sign a new contract with Indiana that pays him at least $12.5 million per year.
• Oklahoma is finalizing a deal to name former Dallas Cowboys All-Pro Jason Witten as the program’s next tight ends coach. He had been head coach of a private Christian school in Texas for five seasons. His son, Cooper Witten, is a 5-star 2027 linebacker prospect. Hmm. No personal interest from Okie there. Huh?
• Liberty coach Jamey Chadwell is recovering from surgery for a “serious but treatable medical condition” that was detected before the season, the school said last Friday. Having just hired a new Defensive Coordinator in Shawn Quinn out of Virginia Tech, there is no sign that might indicate he plans to step down. Chadwell, who turns 49 on Saturday, is 25-13 in his three seasons at Liberty.
• Urban Meyer is so ugly he made a happy meal cry.
• Fat F*** Phil Fulmer’s spirit animal is a couch.

COACH QUOTE OF THE WEEK

When asked if he sent a message to Lane Kiffin after two College Football Playoff wins, Ole Miss coach Pete Golding scoffed at the idea, saying:

“I don’t have s— to say to anybody.”☠

TEEVEE

THIS WEEK

Monday, January 19

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP: Indiana vs Miami-FL 6:30/7:30 ESPN – in Miami

Saturday, January 31

SENIOR DAY: AFC VS NFC 12:30pm/1:30pm NFL Network – Played at University of South Alabama, Hancock Whitney Stadium

#ALABAMA

• Safety Bray Hubbard, nickelback Red Morgan, QBs Keelon Russell and Austin Mack are back for 2026.
• Former Alabama players participating in the Senior Bowl: RB Jam Miller, TE Josh Cuevas, OC Parker Brailsford, DT Tim Keenan, Edge LT Overton, LB Deontae Lawson, LB Justin Jefferson. There has been some talk of Ty Simpson showing up at some point.
• OL Jaeden Roberts has accepted an invite to the East-West Shrine Bowl.
• Speaking of Ty Simpson, he former Tide quarterback has been reportedly offered as much as $6.5 million to transfer to Miami-FL, with both Ole Miss and Tennessee put up $4 million offers for the 2026 season. He is not in the portal and has not signed his NFL papers yet, so he is still in flux. However, offering a guy not in the TP is considered tampering. Is the NCAA going to do anything about it?
• The hiring of former Ole Miss and Auburn assistant Derrick Nix as Alabama WR coach was made official last week. He replaces JaMarcus Shephard.
• Alabama tight ends coach Bryan Ellis has been promoted to quarterbacks coach. Ellis replaces Nick Sheridan, who served as Alabama’s quarterbacks coach in 2025 before taking the Michigan State offensive coordinator job. Assuming nobody is promoted from the junior assistants, one more offensive coach will need to be hired.
• OL coach ChrisKapilovic, RB coach Robert Gillespie, and special teams coordinator Jay Nunez are both still employed by the University of Alabama.